Prithwi Singh's Correspondence with The Mother

31 December 1949

Ma douce Mère,

Yesterday a big glass pane of one of the doors at the farther end of the room where I work in the Library was broken by the boys while playing. The actual person K who had broken it while pushing aside a spinning top of another boy admitted it himself and cleaned the room full of scattered bits of splintered glass. Fortunately no one was sitting there at the time.

The children play and shout so lustily before S's room that after ten or ten-thirty it becomes difficult to work. When told they move away a little farther, but again return after a few minutes and start their noisy game.

It is not the children so much as the parents who are more to blame. Their contention is that the Mother is looking after the children and they have no responsibilities ....

But I hope, Mother, that it may be possible to do something to prevent the Ashram building from being turned into another playground.

All that you say above is quite true—as for the children playing, we shall try to stop them.

With my love and blessings

31 December 1949