Holidays: something we all dream of when college is at its worst, but curse when we sit bored at home with nothing but a bag of chips and the Facebook. Admit it, we've all had those "Facebook-is-life" kind of days. But don't you get tired of the Facebook? A lot of us did, and decided that there were better ways to socialise!
We visited a remand home in Dongri on the fifth day of the fifth month of the year. Despite the holiday season, a whooping twenty three of us showed up. The place had a separate area for boys and girls and so we went to visit both of the groups separately.
When with the boys, we taught them an action song in Hindi, which they were eager to learn and participate. We played a lot of games with them and got to see them as the kids they are, albeit the ones who have faced dire circumstances. The caretaker also showed us some of the very creative things the children there had made,ranging from paper ear-rings and necklaces to wall hangings and key chains.
We then moved towards the girls section. As compared to the boys, the girls seemed to be very shy. However once we started interacting with them they warmed up to us. We played some games with them too after which some of them wanted to showcase their talents. So while some sang and danced, others cracked a few jokes and one even recited a shayari. We concluded with singing the National Anthem. When we were leaving, all of them thanked us with huge smiles on their faces and asked us to come again.
By now, you must be wondering about the kind of thoughts and feelings that buzzed inside us after this entire adventure. Well, wonder-no-further, for here are some accounts that speak for us all:
"The thing that touched me the most was when they asked us to come again and teach them something more. I felt that we went there unprepared and after they said that, I realised that I didn't need to prepare to do something from my heart. I was happy that we were able to make them happy. "Kids and Smiles", target achieved!" -Rhea
"The most overwhelming fact was that in spite of the hell they were going through, these kids were thoroughly enjoying whatever little we had to offer! This live-in-the-moment kind of spirit has really inspired me to accept whatever is in store for me ahead, and to live one day at a time." -Niharika
"I was really impressed by how the kids were doing their best at showcasing their talents in the form of some imperfectly perfect form of creativity- their own. The touching part was the fact that these kids were able to accept the fact that they'd done something wrong in life and were looking forward to a brighter future, something we as educated youngsters seldom do." -Ruchita
"This was my second social visit. It really wasn't exactly what I'd heard it to be. I myself took time to talk to them openly. I noticed that the boys were really strong and handled themselves pretty well. Even so, as we were leaving they asked us when we were going to return. I also felt that some of the girls couldn't handle the treatment there. They weren't allowed to meet their parents too, which I felt was not quite right." -Nigel
PLEASE NOTE:
These visits are extremely effective in their own small way, and we urge you to be a part of this amazing movement. The only one condition, is that you must be a university student. You do NOT have to be Catholic, you do NOT need to be an AICUFer and you definitely do NOT need to be a Xavierite. So now that we've (hopefully) broken the stereotype, come join us. It's a lot of fun!
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