It was evening of 31st December; I was thinking how to make my 1st January special. I have different options like to go in a bar with clg friends, to go 4 some trip (which was on top of priority) or to just sit in the room and have some retrospect. I was just comparing my priorities when I got a call from ankit.
He said tomorrow we are going to an orphanage.
I said what?
He said firmly I am telling you not asking.
With some heavy mind I said ok.
To go in an orphanage on 1st jan was nowhere in my priority list and I hate it when I have to follow somebody, anyway for the sake of ankit’s friendship I decided to go there.
On the way to my journey I was trying to visualize an orphanage as per my imagination which was based on novels and movies. After a journey of 45 mins we reached there and then the reality hits me back. I met the manager and founder of that orphanage. He was a simple guy and was talking in English. He told us that how he had started this orphanage from 2 kids and 10000 rupees. He told us that he is really unable to provide good lodging and schooling facilities to them. He told us strictly not to take any photo and no to speak anything in front of these kids as they are very sensitive and some of them don’t even know their age, so our questions may arise their curiosity. I was trying to grasp these things when he took us between kids. They were seated randomly on the ground. When they saw us some of them trying to come towards us. Some of them were physically challenged, some mentally little slow but all of them were very enthusiastic to meet us. Some of them were holding our hands and showing us their books, toys, rooms. Some of them were kissing us and wishing for x-mas and New Year. There were kids of 6 months of age to 18 years but you cant guess their age by their physical condition. It was so touching the way they were expressing themselves. The manager told us their stories that how he find some of them in dustbin or outside some hospital or near bus stand or on railway track. I have always considered myself and ankit as emotionally very strong but that part of life really make us cry within myself. For some moments I was absent from the world. I always feel that I could have done little better in life if born and brought up in little better atmosphere but at that moment I was just cursing myself that what an asshole I was to complain about life. These kids don’t have anything they deserve (left the question of desires). I was comparing myself to them and was feeling strange that I have 2 hands and legs which are working fine as compare to some of them. I have a brain that is in my control as compare to some of them. I have a future, a family, and few friends and more importantly I have a full name. Yes I have an identity.
My complains were based around health, promotion, money while they have complains about basic needs of life like; to meet their parents, to get some love in life, to join the main stream society, to have family, to have friends.
On our way back none of us was speaking anything. It may be due to some kind of guilt or some kind of frustration or because of hatred to society for being so cruel to them.
I was asking a question to myself that what their faults to have a life like hell were. I could have been at their place. So now this my responsibility to put some color in their otherwise colorless life. This I will do not to be free of my guilt but because I want to do it, because this world is a beautiful place and every human being have equal right to realize the beauty of it, Its everybody’s basic right to have a family, to love some one and to be loved.
By the way thanks ankit for this trip…
Thanx god to make me realize my responsibilities…
Thanx papa to give me an identity and
Thanks ma for all your self less love and care…
