“Your dress looks too good” I complemented her. “Amma brought this for me” she replied
“Oh! Where is she?” I said. I felt I should not have asked her this question. “She is in our native” she replied. “Your ear ring is good” I complemented her to make her feel good. “Amma brought this for me” she repeated it again. “You look so cute” I complemented her again.
She need not repeat the same response again. I know her Amma bought her to the world, ouch! Sorry brought her to the world. “Sweet heart, you Amma brought you to this world, not sure for what reason, and she brought you this home, not sure for what reason, but holding you in my arms, my anterior pituitary gland secretes prolactin” I want to tell her which she could not understand. K. Vidya. Lean, chocolaty, dressed green, and her dress decorated with small pieces of chamikies all over the body, looked like angle in green. She was the first one to talk to me or at least the one who caught my eyes.
“Do you like me?” I asked her. She didn’t reply but smiled.
I reached 3rd Street, Viduthalai Nagar, Roshini Charitable Trust at early morning eleven (early morning! Of Course it was a Sunday). I reached the home first, nothing to brag, if I had missed my train which I took on that day, I would have reached only after lunch. The moment I entered the home my super computer compiling some code (of conduct) so far started throwing exceptions, the reason was; there was an elderly lady in her early forties if my guess was not wrong. Short, pale, wearing a thick gold chain and she was fat, ouch! Sorry she was healthy. She welcomed me as if I was entering some restaurant. I waited for some long time; Mohan (Mic) joined me in another few minutes, sorry I have to mention mic’ because I was skeptical whether I could differentiate another Mohan who joined us few minutes later. Very soon the lunch came in an auto and by the time we shifted the lunch inside the caterer too joined us.
We entered inside the home. Silence prevailed; all sweet little sweets were watching television. When we tried interacting,
“Let all your gang come then you can have interaction with kids, because they will lose interest if they need to repeat it again to your friends” the elderly women interrupted.
We saw a small beauty sleeping at the corner of the room. We sat close to the sweets and slowly started interacting with them. K. Vidya came sat with me we started talking not listening to the interaction going around. Suddenly Mohan tapped me to show something in his mobile. It was a mentally disabled kid laughing happily when that snap was taken. “Look, how happy he was when we spoke to him. It was in Kakum Karangal “Mohan observed. “Man, that’s a good snap. I want to take a snap of me this moment and I want to show you how much happy I’m now with these kids” I thought of replying. Oh! Did I say “mentally disabled”, I know I should use the correct word “differently-able” but I myself go mentally disabled some times and also I don’t believe in any jargons but love or at least it would not affect even if that rose bud whom I mentioned so –heard.
Few minutes slipped. Another Mohan and his brother, Bharath, Dinesh, Seshadri joined us.
“Fund is more and enough and just fund is not enough” that was my talk and I wanted to walk my talk and that was one reason I wanted to participate this visit.
Mohan, looking at me, immediately asked “you said you’re not coming”, I replied “I want to walk my talk”. Nothing to brag about or might be a selfish reason that someone should not tell me I only talk and will not walk what I talk.
All Kidos accepted to switch off the television and got ready to interact with us. We made everybody to introduce them and asked them to tell what they like. They all got a honey dipped voice I sensed when they sang. I observed a mind-blowing, extraordinary dance performance by Priyadharshini. Everybody introduced them with their initials before their name. And the how do I tell them that the reason for their initials were the sole reason for them to be there and different from other children’s who sleep next to their Mother - hugging, kissing their Father, fighting with their siblings.
Again the same elderly women intervened to shout “Magesh”. A honey dipped sweet, sleeping at the corner of the room woke up suddenly and walked to her without attiring anything around him. She lifted him and kissed. After one long hour I got some respect towards her. Every kid called her ‘Amma’. I felt as if all the kids were under some Stockholm syndrome. Stockholm syndrome is said to be empathy towards the kidnapers by the hostages. Minutes slipped and we all loved the interaction with kids. In addition to all the sweet hearts, sweet heart of Mohan (mic) joined us with her friend.
Few minutes later “Time for lunch” announced the elderly women.
When you lift a hungry baby, it would try to hug the bosom and I remember I felt a biting once. But when I lifted Magesh, he didn’t react as a normal baby. He pointed his finger towards the elderly women. He didn’t want to go or react to anybody’s words but her. Magesh is one year and four months and he was in Roshini home’ from the day two he came to this world. When we inquired more about him; his Mother was mentally ill and a police man brought him to the home. “All these honey bunches are born either to mad parent or parent mad” I thought. Sorry if I’m harsh but; I am not cursing.
I saw Vidya eating in slience next to Priyadharshini. I went close to her, dashed my head with her and said “you didn’t call me. Don’t you like me?” she responded with a smile.
Post lunch, kho-kho game was planned in reflection. We saw some marvelous player among. Both the Mohans tried to stroll through kids but kids were faster. Meanwhile Dinesh and Seshadri bought ice creams for the kids. The home in charge told us medicines would help them better. Most of the kids were affected by cold and mums (dammed! I could not stop telling this, all were affected by their mum’s) so the “Amma” (elderly women/in charge of the home) jumped in and announced “those who were not well don’t take ice cream, but don’t worry, I will keep it in fridge and will give you once you recover from cold”. She called out the names not well and told them not to take ice creams. She shouted but I sensed motherly care in her every word. Even I felt calling her Amma. I saw Vidhya eating ice cream. I went near to her and asked “you’re eating without giving me” she offered me ice cream and I feed her with her hand. “I like you” she said after finishing her ice creams. God! Finally I won her love. Hmm! It’s tough to win even a small girls love.
Meanwhile Seshadri disappeared, Kho-kho continued, and a beautiful couple Preethi and Jay joined us. Preethi as usual with her nature made the day of the children with many different games. Seshadri brought medicines, Mohan (mic) started, biding loud goodbye to all the sweet hearts with his sweet heart. Dinesh, Seshadri, Bharath too started after their good time in the game and with the kids. I realized that I should start home. I was content, happy, et cetra, et cetra. Preethi & Jay, Mohan and his brother stayed back.
I felt like touching Amma’s feet. I felt I should take at least one kid home if not Vidya.
Let me try to ‘walk the talk’ some day.
-Let me take all the dislikes’ towards this write-up and dedicate all the likes’ to those kids,
-Sathish
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