KAWANT, NOVEMBER 4, 2010: Just a few days back, I happened to see something extra ordinary about this simple man, Mr. Leslie that my heart compels to write something about him. As Salesian, who are called to work for young people, made me feel a bit ashamed when I saw his dedication, hard work and commitment.
Mr. Leslie has been a football coach in Don Bosco Matunga for many years and he is still faithful to his work. When Br. Ramesh D calls him to coach our Rathwa boys and girls, he makes it a point to sacrifice all his work and benefits just to be with them. What is more surprising is the fact, that he doesn’t take a single pie and he spends his own money to come here. He gets a lot of coaching material for the kids. His bag is always full of clothes for the boys when he comes for coaching. There are various institutions who call him during the Diwali and summer vacations but his heart and mind is in the mission to serve the poor tribal boys and girls. He is a very simple and humble person and his commitment is amazing. He gets up early in the morning and coaches the kids till 12 p.m. and again he starts at 4 till 7 p.m. He makes it a point to know where the boys and girls have reached during the tournament. If any material is needed for the kids, he sends it to them from Mumbai.
Can we see this same commitment in our Young Salesians? The lay people today are really doing well without any benefits or perks. We need to learn from them and be like them. Time has come to look at the other side of life and learn from them.