The hidden light...

Slowly I was sailing through every picture I took in Bethel home and for no reason I stopped at a picture.  I found her laughing godly.  I found her entirely different from all and I know her story as the care taker, the old mother, told me.   When I heard the story it was one among the story she told me but when I looked in her deeply today in the photograph I lost myself in thoughts imagined how it would be in her position. 

Many times I read to see god in everybody, but for that I need to see God in me.  Up to me at least I want to see me in whoever I see as only kids and a very few reflected the God in them and I found light in their eyes also I found them losing their light, the divine gift which is reflected in the eyes of very few, by their materialistic activities. And this little child, when I looked in to her eyes deeply their existed a melancholic rhythm of life could not understand the light that her eye emitted it was magical and mystical that gave me little bit of sadness in my nerves.  My gray cells could not identify the message it conveyed though it could recognize the mystery. 

And today I looked at her picture for a very long time and her smile, godly smile doesn’t looked like a smile but a cry of life, a smile of a wounded angel.  I recognized I am getting depressed and depressed every minute I looked at her picture. 

The old mother in the home told me that her father, when she was months old in the hands of her tribal mother, fell down from a tree and his back and hip bone broke.  Since he could no more do any work and run a family with a little kid his wife brought her little kid to the panchayat, laid her in the middle of all the people and walked away.

I know she was a very human so that she could not recognize the godliness in her.  Such a powerful eye she has got and mesmerizing smile.  Now when I sat before my computer, looked at her image and scratched my imagination to run a virtual picture what all could have happened I literally cried and thought I should share it with all and if possible I should show this girl to all in person because the light in her eyes, her smile, the curse she holds because of her mother stops my words to flow from up above. 

Eye-witness

…a memorable weekend; lot of happenings, lot of people to meet, lot of chit chats, lot of experience, and an incredible dream of a young chap something which amazed me.  Saturday, when I started my weekend, preparing for my bloggers meet I have got a call for an urgent requirement of blood and to enquire with my friends.  Immediately two things came to my mind: one; somebody remembers me when there is an urgency felt really blessed and happy to gain such a status which Siragugal gave me.  Second: We talked about an idea from Mohanraju to collect all the blood group of Siragugal members and maintain a record which we failed to do.  I called up, messaged all that I know and to give me shock I got a reply from, my more-than-a-Sis, Silambarasi ‘Urgent call me immediately’ before I dialed her number she called me to say ‘I am of that group let’s go’ Oh! I am proud to be your brother dear.  Anyways it was a requirement for an operation on Monday to I called back the one who called me to say we have a back up.

Immediately (my vice-captain) Prithvi called me to remind me that we are supposed to go to Bethel Home for girl children to collect the dress sizes so that we could get them suitable new dress before Diwali.  I called Jaishri (a volunteer of a great NGO Bhumi) to check the right time to reach Bethel home in fact I kept calling her and messaging her whenever I remember that I have to go to Bethel home, thanks for her patience.

 Saturday; the day started with few amazing responses and shocking replies and ended in meeting lot of complete strangers in a bloggers meet where I turned few complete strangers to complete close friends. And one last time (for the day) I disturbed Jaishri o know the timing; she said she would redirect me to Divya (another volunteer of Bhumi) and I ended the call without getting Divya’s number.

Sunday; as usual I started it lazily but as and when the hours passed I fastened myself to prepare for the pre-visit of Siragugal’s visit because this time this is going to be big and something different and I started feeling the heat it created.

Story behind: We in Siragugal were planning a visit to Bethel Home for Girl Children (where we funded and installed water purifier as part of Siragugal’s activity) for quite a long time.  When Diwali was ahead we planned to make those kids in Bethel Home to celebrate Diwali with us rather we celebrate Diwali with them (if your question is ‘what is the difference’ please wait).  Sriraman (an active volunteer of Siragugal) called me and said that he read somewhere, in an article where a girl in an orphanage says people celebrate their birthdays with us and we do not have anybody to celebrate ours. Uff! That is something which gave me Goosebumps. So instead we collect and give old clothes let us give them new clothes and make them celebrate the Diwali.

So let us make some difference.

When I was half the way to Bethel home, I have to take two trains and when I was waiting in the second station for the second train a guy met with accident and entire crowd joined together to talk about what had happened and the next moment as and when the next train horned everybody moved away on their way but then I could see everybody staying away, unusually, from the approaching train on the platform as a result of fear. 

Prithvi (My Vice Captain and young chap of Siragugal) and Revathi (a singer, who stays near to Bethel home and a active member of Siragugal) was already on time and waiting for me in the destination station (St. Thomas Mount) from where we have to travel along to Bethel. 

Meanwhile I messaged Jaishri o get contact number of Divya and before even I ask, Jaishri alled up Divya and informed we are coming and message her number to me.  We hired an auto and I started my touchier session on auto driver.  When we are very near to the Bethel home, the autowala didn’t seem to know the correct place but still we made him to roam around though he was murmuring something on the money we promised to pay.  And finally we reached Bethel Home (and on the way I learnt we are suppose to pronounce it as Beth-el and not as Be-thel)

Divya welcomed with charming smile, because we stayed away looking at a dog at the entrance.  We saw a small group of children about 25 and 5 charming volunteers of Bhumi. We started interacting with them while Revathi was busy collecting the data of dress.  We met an old mother who takes care of the entire home of 25 children.   

‘Only till twelfth standard we keep them here and after that I try to put them in the college to the max near to their home town. Four of them were studying nursing’ she said with a proud in her voice

‘Every kid here as a story, a book to write’ she continued ‘did you see those two kids they are twins and were eye witness of a murder case’ she continued

I was wondering what she was talking about, meanwhile we got our coffee (in fact boost) to drink.  I slowly sipped it and listened to her.  In between Revathi has finished her job with the children and came to the old mother to ask her age as part of data collection. 

‘… their father who is in jail requested a pastor who visits jail for prayers to take care of his children and then thru that pastor those twin kids were taken over by Bethel home.  Recently their father came out in Berol to see them and said that he is handing over his life to us to take care’ she said

Ok! But what is that eye-witness! I wondered.

‘That guy chopped his wife’s head when she was feeding her children, by then they were just two and now they were the eye-witness’ she stopped for a second.

Oh! For a second those eye-witnesses gave eye wetness in me!

Many more stories to learn but I don’t think I can bear that much heavy feelings in a day so I turned to children to interact with them and had photo session.  Gave chocolates that my vice captain bought after we reached that strange place.  After some times the old mother thought something and said remove my name and add our driver's name Emmanuel; oh! you see that is why she was able to run such a mission.
We bid good bye finally, Divya and her friend helped us to reach bus stop.

When I and Prithvi were in travel back home, he said ‘Captain, do you know my ambition; I want to build an orphanage on my own.  If fact I already had built one in dream; it is square in shape and in the middle a big tree, first ground floor entirely for aged people and the first floor is for children and you know lot more things I dreamt’ he said running out of words.  I was awestruck on listening to such an ambition for the first time in my life and that too from a young chap.  I pray his dream should come true one day. 

And I messaged Jaishri o thank her and end of the day many learning, many smiles, many chweet friends in Bethel and a good friend; Divya, and special friend; Jaishri, thanks for bearing me. 


Here is the pics : Bethel Home Photos
Here we are in Facebook : Siragugal
Bhumi : Bhumi

Comments and suggestion towards the blog, post and Siragugal are invited :)