Raksha)“Raksha Didi aa gayi!!"

“Raksha Didi aa gayi!! Raksha Didi aa gayi!!”

 

Holding so much importance in someone’s life gives you a high that I’m sure no sedative can replace! It has always felt grand to be special to someone and so it does whenever I enter the tainted, beige, partly painted, party rusted gates of our Khushi Home- “home” to oddly 60 aspiring, dreamy-eyed, young girls spanning from 4 to 18 years of age.

It’s been quite a while that I have been making them smile, sharing their grief and tackling their questions ... roughly a little over a year. But in all this time, the phenomenal bond that these little angels have formed with me is so pure, selfless and fulfilling that after a point in time, I started going to Khushi since they would make me smile, shed my grief, convert my disturbed mind to a peaceful one and render all my questions baseless and unimportant since theirs’ were much more morbid than my silly concerns!

They not only come from a very different society per say, but also from totally uncultured and uncouth families. The idea of bringing up isn’t something that the homeless couples of the Nizammudin or Jama Masjid areas (Delhi) are familiar with. They sleep without being sure whether they will feel cold or hot in their makeshift shelter which they label “home”, whether or not they will be able to purchase two meals for their family the next day and if saving money is a possibility for future existence! Under such dire circumstances these young children are invariably neglected.

That’s when Dil Se comes in and rescues these children from playing the same role as their mothers in this vicious circle of yet again raising children in a similar fashion.  We educate them not only in the context of academics but also about hygiene, life skills and recreational activities, building their interest in art, craft, dancing, singing and everything that a child deserves to inculcate within oneself thereby metamorphosing them.

It is always wonderful spending time with these girls whether in class or outside. They have certain behavioural habits which are alien to us like hitting each other to prove a point, not following classroom ethics, etc. But they do not cheat, they rarely lie, they are very emotional and loyal! They never forget you once you have met them and they keep asking about you. At times if due to other engagements you fail to visit them for a long period (which unfortunately I do) they will ask you with gloomy eyes, “Didi, itne baad aaye ho! Humari yaad nahi aati kya?” (Didi, you have come after so long! Don’t you miss us?)

It has been a pleasure since Day 1 that i joined this campaign and it is impossible to note down my experience and observation in one blog post! Hence, I shall write again, VERY SOON to talk more about these bright kids with immense pleasure J

Till then I urge everyone to do their part in their own little ways, since every small act shall make a Huge difference in their lives!

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