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The Little Entrepreneurs
After two decades away, a Navratri tradition showed me how naturally children learn to plan, cooperate, and solve problems.
After more than two decades, I found myself in India during Navratri and Dussehra. It felt wonderful to experience the familiar colors, prayers, food, and festive energy again. Yet one of my most memorable observations came from something simple: the young kanjaks arriving on Ashtami and Navami.
Our residential complex is enormous, with twenty-four high-rise towers and hundreds of families. On these two auspicious days, residents welcome the kanjaks inside to invite them home for the traditional pooja. As you can imagine, they are in great demand. From early morning, families eagerly wait for them, ready with halwa, puri, chana, blessings, and gifts.
Each kanjak may visit ten, fifteen, or even twenty homes. By the end of each visit, they have collected food packets, stationery, toys, bangles, small purses, money, and many other thoughtful gifts. At first, I wondered how these young children would carry everything safely from one tower to another.
Then I noticed their clever system.
