Experiencing SOS..

"Akka, please come to my home na..pleeeeeeease, pleeeeeease!!", and before I could say something, a tiny hand grips mine tightly, and we start running across the green field with a bunch of others towards the HOME. The warmth is infectious, and the invitation a genuine one, straight from the heart, and I just keep following them to their respective HOMES. They take me in, and their mother welcomes me open-heartedly. A neatly arranged house...nothing fancy..two simple wooden sofas with clean, cotton upholstery and nicely arranged cushions, right in front of the entrance, a dining table towards the left, and a painting of Jesus on the right wall..little further inside, you find a beautifully illuminated temple area, with lots of deities, and something in the air just makes you want to join hands and say a little prayer. My fellow companions introduce me to their family excitedly, and then show me around the house.."Akka, this is my bed..and this is our cupboard for school uniforms..Akka, this one belongs to Prasanna",and he opens it quickly.. "Haw..you keep your cupboard so messed up Prasanna!!", bang comes the comment from him, as if he was already prepared to say this. I can' help but smiling at their banter. He's still holding my finger..and showing me his bedroom...a dorm like setting..neat and simple..meanwhile, his siblings have also joined us and I am showered with questions.."Akka...when will you come back?"..and questioning eyes..I don't want to disappoint them, but then I don't want to give them any false indications just to keep their heart..so I try moving on to the next question..but I can't. He insists, "Akka..please come naa"..and a toothless smile..God..he knows the tactics so well..An invitaion with such a beautiful smile is not easy to turn down..I tell him.."I'll come back soon", and give him an assured look.

Tring tring..my cell rings..and its Deepali at the other end. "Hey Nimisha! Hurry up! We got to leave!"..I don't feel like leaving..and don't feel like believing that the day is just over..I give him a hug, say good bye to the rest and rush to catch the bus..cheerfully waving good bye to others I met on the way to the bus.

And the day is indeed over..but what a truly amazing day it was! It all started at 10 in the morning at the SOS campus, where we picked up the kids and their mothers and started off for Birla Planetarium and Science Museum. We were few folks from office, and we divided the kids, around 95 in number into 8 groups. Each of us led a group of kids for the day, and they were our responsibility today! I quickly got to know the names of many, though they found my name a bit confusing..nimisha, manisha..whatever..and who cares..they could just call me "Akka". My group was a bunch of second class kids..4 girls and 4 guys, all full of energy..truly excited for their outing.No..not all..most of them..I found one of the girls really shy, and not getting along with most of the other kids initially..but later she was alright. Anyways, we decided to call our team "Jhinga la la", and our team cheer turned out to be "Jhinga la la..hoo ha!"..no surprises here.

As our fully loaded bus jostled its way through the dusty roads, I realized I was packed with these bundles of energy. We started shouting our team cheer in high spirits..we were the first team to come up with this, and hence had already made headway here..soon Tarun's Dons pitched in..5th graders..and smart ones..their pitches easily made ours go psssssssst! On the way...we played Antakshari..of course I was just a spectator..I know nothing of Telugu music..and we talked about Chiranjeevi, and Anushka, and Charmee, and Gopichand..and a bunch of other actors I can't recall..we discussed what they want to be when they grow up...and their ambitions are as varying as they are..Priyanka wants to be a software engineer(should I show her the reality of our lives..lols), Adisheshu wants to go to the army..and Vaishnavi wants to do painting..and Meera.she just wants to help others! Nothing different so far..kids are kids anywhere..and that's the best thing about them. Unlike grown ups, they don't judge you..they don't care who you are, what you do, how you look, and how you speak..all this reminds me of the song:

I don't care who you are,

where you're from,

what you do,

as long as you love me.....

Just love them..and you'll get it back.

Back on track..the bus was full to capacity, and I found place on a pedestal..I had no qualms sitting there, and was sitting perfectly okay when a pair of hands rested on my shoulders. I looked up, and behold! All the kids had squeezed themselves to make space for me..they asked me to sit there..and the chaalu that I am..I took the promise, that they are not gonna fight, if they want me to sit with them..win win situation for me! And to nobody's wonder, I found myself squeezed between them in a minute.

We reach the venue..and its already lunch time..all of us sit down in the gardens in respective groups, and the kids open the lunch boxes they've brought with them. They wash their hands, spread out a clean napkin and keep their lunch boxes on it. A variety of smells..pulihora, sambar rice, lemon rice, cauliflower and chapati enter my nostrils..and then they realize that I am not carrying a tiffin unlike them. So they all share their lunch with me..and i felt so nice about it..I mean it doesn't happen with you everyday that you share food with someone..especially since I have joined this corporate world.

Food was over, and we lined up for the planetarium visit..and I was bombarded with questions..half of which I could not even understand..wish I knew some Telugu! They were amazed by the stars..the vastness of the universe..and particularly liked the constellations. I could hear their "wows and whys" all through the show.

Once the show was over, and we headed off to the science museum. The concepts of science like friction, optics, energy, etc. were obviously alien to the 2nd graders, and it was too much to expect that they would understand them. So I just let them be..they loved the equipment..pedals..and cycles to convert mechanical energy to heat..a ball that kept hanging in the air because of air blowing out..some swings to understand pulleys..mirrors and lenses for optics..concepts that even I found long forgotten. We saw the dianosaurs' remains and soon it was time to wrap up. The kids were tired by now..and we assembled together for a small address by Major Raju, who was managing the center. Soon we were back on our way HOME. Most of the kids slept on the way..and the bus was quiet this time. On reaching back, we assembled in a hall, and the children seemed just getting out of control, as they found themselves in familiar surroundings. The brief sleep had probably replenished their energies, and it was all showing up well. And then suddenly..someone switched on the TV..to our utter consternation..all noise stopped immediately, and all eyes set towards the telivision set! This is the trick that they use to calm them down. After five minutes the TV was switched off. The manager of SOS said words of thanks to all of us..the kids handed over some greeting cards to us that said "Thank You", and the manager insisted that each kid should thank us from the bottom of their hearts for what we did today. I found this a little too much..as to why the kids should be so over-thankful..I mean..please just let them be like any other kids..why do we need to make them feel they are different..

While we were still assembled in the hall..one of the girls wanted to dress my hair..she pulled out my band..combed my hair with her tiny fingers..made a tight pony tail..and gave an approving smile..as if everything was okay now..need not mention..I was touched by the familiarity of this unknown girl...The last time when somebody did this to me was at the hostel I guess..and its been years now.

One of the girls looked at the greeting I had received, she was disappointed when she couldn't see my name on it. Then she decided to fix this. She borrowed a marker..then diligently copied the spelling of my name from my ID to the card..and handed it back..not to mention..with a smile again..God..did they have the slightest idea..they have made the day for so many people!

A few camera clicks happened after that, and the kids started scattering..

I also started tying the laces of my shoes..thinking it was a well spent day..and then..suddenly a hand gripped mine and said, "Akka, please come to my home na..pleeeeeeease, pleeeeeease!!"

A well spent day indeed!

[For the uninitiated, SOS Villages are homes for children. It would be unfair to call them orphangaes, as each child has a mother to take care, and a house to live in. He/she shares it with other kids, and all of them live as siblings. So these kids are no more orphans..they have a HOME to live in!]

Children of Heaven-Part II

There are those days, when you feel absolutely disgusted by all the right and wrong things going around you, and you crave for an escape from eveything, just searching for some solitude..gripped by the annui of a routine life, stagnant relations, pressing deadlines, and the burden of your aimless ambitions..and one such evening, I was just strolling the road to the historical south Indian temple in the vicinity, thinking all that I needed to tell dear "Rab ji"...and as if HE knew it all, something happened on the way, that just made me feel lighter by tonnes.

There was this bunch of kids by the roadside(yep, the same ones in tattered clothes, which lot of us loath, and detest touching), watching me curiously, as if I was an extra-terrestrial who just landed into their country. I tried to avoid this constant attention I was getting for a while, but then something from inside told me to pass on a smile(and trust me, it was a genuine one)to them..And believe it or not, the kids were so over-joyed as if I made their day..one smile from me..and I got so many in return..they followed me for some distance, waving and laughing merrily all the way..and I couldn't stop myself from joining them, leaving all cares in world beyond, and just living that blissful moment.

I did not go to the temple then..HE was there in the smiles of those kids.

Children of heaven

Am not a movie buff..not even a dash of it..but this one just refuses to get outta my mind..After a long while, I could feel a tear trickling down, not for my own self, but for the shimmer of hope I saw in the eyes of Zahra and Ali.

One of its kind, I would recommend everyone to watch Children of Heaven, an Oscar nominated Iranian movie by Majid Majidi. Its a simple yet heart-touching tale of two siblings, Ali and Zahra. Ali takes the only shoe of Zahra for repairing, and unfortunately loses it on the way back home. The entire movie is woven around the struggle to find a pair of shoes for little Zahra, so that she can go to school. Stunningly simple yet absorbing treatment of the emotions of the two lil ones keeps you hooked till the end, and wanting for more!!

While Ali tries to find a pair of shoes for Zahra, the two are aware that their poor Dad is not in a position to buy one. So they refrain from telling him, and manage with the only pair of torn sneakers that Ali has. Every day, Zahra goes to school in the first shift, and then comes back running all the way, so that Ali can wear them in the second shift. (Suddenly, I have started realising how blessed I am!) This becomes a daily phenomenon-a race against all odds. A pair of shoes, and that becomes the centre of universe for the duo. A race is announced for school kids, where the third prize is a pair of sneakers. Ali tells Zahra about it, and also promises that he'll come third, come what may. The twinkle in Zahra's eyes at the thought of getting a pair of shoes is something you can't afford to overlook. The race happens and despite his best efforts, Ali comes first. Suddenly he's a star and everybody including his principal get themselves photographed with him. Everybody is elated, but for him. Fame, prizes, photographs mean nothing to him. The pair of sneakers have eluded him once again. The movie comes to an end, and the epilogue says that though Ali couldn't win the third prize, he gets a successful career ahead as a racer.

This seemingly simple narrative has been treated with all the naive innocence of the kids. The spectrum of emotions that Ali and Zahra have managed to exhibit with all the earnesty makes the movie a visual delight, and language does not become a barrier at any time during the movie.

The simple sequence of Zahra chasing the shoe when it falls into a gutter, makes you feel like running by her side, and help her grab it. You just make an instant connection with the pair, and start feeling for them.

Its amazing the way the director gets into the child psyche, and shows the bonding between the siblings..their little moments of joy amidst all the struggle for their everyday needs. The scene when Zahra and Ali start playing with the soap bubbles formed when Zahra tries to clean the dirt-smitten sneakers is plain heartening..small things in life giving so much joy to kids..and we as grown-ups just don't know how to savour them. There's one more sequence worth mention, when Ali goes to uptown with his dad to make some money. They indeed make some, and the conversation between the two takes you to a different world, where dreams start unfolding- "Son, we'll soon have some more money, and then we can buy a refrigerator, and may be rent a better house, and your mom will get some better treatment...", "..and a new pair of shoes for Zahra, Dad?" is all that Ali says..nothing matters to him more than that..ah!

A movie to savor-do I need to say more?

And yes, on a closing note, it reminds me of the famous story by Premchand-"Eid-gaah", which again revolves around a a deprived child, and his poor granny, trying to make both ends meet, and in the process, trying to save some pennies, so that poor Hamid gets an 'Idi', and gets to live some share of his childhood(most of which is already tattered in the battle against abject poverty, save for his dreams that his ammi and abba will someday return from their trip to heaven, and bring him goodies).Hamid, on the other hand keeps thinking of his grandma, who doesn't have a 'chimta'(pair of tongs), and her hands get burnt every other day while cooking. He goes to the mela, and is a mute spectator, when all his friends are savouring mouth-watering sweets, and enjoying merry-go-rounds. He eludes all the temptations of the child within, and buys a chimta. Amazing story encompassing all the maturity of childhood!!