Reciting Mathematical Tables

I went to the Brahmin's shop -- you know the stuff he sells for pooja rituals -- to get some sacred thread. From inside of the shop, I heard a couple of kids loudly reciting mathematical tables. I was very happy that the brahmin was mentoring neighborhood kids and educating them in his spare time. "You will have to soon start them with multiplication tables" -- I told the shop-keeper, noticing that the kids were stopping abruptly, and re-starting their recitation. "Oh, these slum kids, they don't know how to count. I doubt they even go to school. I have these kids engaged in cleaning of Godambi (plump cashew nuts). But I don't want them to eat the cashews, so I have them recite the tables non-stop. If they eat the cashews, I know immediately" -- said the Brahmin. __________ As told by Shanta Nagaraj, 2003 See Related Topics: Picture of Shanta Nagaraj The Helping Hands -- Working Children of India The Brahmin Culture