You
can read. You can write. You can talk. You can walk. You are a person with
senses. You woke up this morning. You are healthy. You have parents. You have a
good life. You are alive and kickin! But you still make a fuss about the things
you don't have. The truth is you have eyes yet fail to see. You have ears yet
fail to hear. You have hearts yet fail to love..
Yesterday
I got a chance to visit an orphanage run by Missionaries of Charity Sisters. It
was nothing but an eye-opener! Little did I know that a small experience
would leave such a huge impact on me as an individual, as a human being as I
can't stop cribbing about the iPhone that I don't have or the Aldo shoes my mom
once promised to buy me. I fight with my parents for lame reasons. I spend
money shopping for things I’m never gonna wear in my life. I waste food. But
have I even once stopped and thought about that child who goes to sleep without
eating or the homeless kid lying on the street with no warm clothes in a cold
winter night? India is a country where 269.3 million people go to sleep empty
stomach! Next time when you waste food think about it!
So
coming back to my experience at the orphanage.. It was nothing worldly! It was
divine. It is when you see such joyful happy faces that you do realize that God
does exist and that you have been taking your life for granted. They were once
lost but now are found. They have a name. They have an identity. They live in
the same world as you and me do. But what is so different about them and us? We
have everything and yet are unhappy. We want more and more and more. We are
materialistic in nature. We’re never seemed to be satisfied. Can't help it! It’s
so deep in the blood. Our life is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. But
they are different because they have nothing materialistic. They have the love
of sisters and brothers that is everything to them, a hope for a better
tomorrow and a more inner peace that we definitely lack.
As we entered a room full
of children, as chirpy as the birds in a garden, as pretty as blossoming rose
buds. Their eyes sparkled at the sight of a bunch of us as we entered into the
room. A few of them mixed up with us like we visited them every week, while a few
of them were sitting in the distant corner, staring straight into our eyes,
piercing our souls.
I met a 13 year old girl
named Ritu affected with down syndrome. She doesn't talk, only smiles. She
is very fine even with her deformity. I couldn't help but weep in my heart. I
met another kid with infirmity – Payal, 4 years old, she kept asking my friend
who had a guitar to keep playing for her and she herself wanted to play guitar
all by herself! Another little kid I met was Khush. Khush is of 7 years. Very
intelligent I must say! He wants himself to be clicked and then also see how
the picture looks like!
Despite all their liveliness, I could somehow sense the
distant pain, the longing to have someone who would not just visit them once a
month or year, but take care of them forever! It indeed moved me to witness those little ones, disowned and dejected little ones who deserved
so much more in life. I’d
like to quote a verse from the bible “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come back to you.” These kids are not orphans because they are loved and cared by these great sisters who love them selflessly. I can’t but help admiring them who have sacrificed their
lives entirely for the homeless, the destitute, the differently abled. It gives
me a greater realization that my life on earth has a purpose. This has
definitely instilled a sense of positivity and compassion in me. Now, I have an
optimistic approach towards my life. I value everything in my life and thank
God for whatever he has given me. To end with i'd like to quote a verse from the bible - Romans 8:38-39 "I am certain that neither death nor life, neither angels nor principalities, neither height nor depth, nor any creature will be able to separate us from the love of God."
Some glimpses from our visit!
