Yet another Sunday

We are the world 

Yet another Sunday morning – I get up late around 7:15 am … go to kitchen lazily … look out, see children going to Madrasa near our house , and then one boy in cycle (for handicapped) being pushed by his friends , all of them giggling … Sunday mornings usually lazy but by 8:30 the process of getting ready for Church begins – target to reach Church by 10 , when the service gets over and Sunday School for Esther begins :) And we wait at church next 2 hours – well not exactly wait , that’s the time we socialize with our friends from church … in last 5 yrs here we made friends with I guess 5 families … thanks to Sunday school where all of us wait for our kids --- initially it was reading paper or surfing in laptop (yes we used to take newspaper and laptop, as for almost 3 yrs nobody took the first step of talking to us, we were very new to the church and city with no relatives or close friends) … gradually we started talking … started with Esther’s Sunday school mates Neha, Sarah, Amy, Anagha, Jacob, Lenoy, Ann – And slowly we got to know the families also ..

Cheryl's elder brother Joe 11 yr old has autism .. Appu's elder brother Unni 13 yr old has Mascular Dystrophy a genetic disorder that gradually weakens the body's muscles – Ann 11 yr old is deaf and dumb … I see these kids , so lively so brave , infact when Unni’s father, who is a doctor when first told me about Unni’s health condition, I could not help myself and I cried with him . …. They living with the that truth for more than 7 yrs now .. I look around and I see there is no way these kids can have little better life in terms of accessibility to places, education, training --

 Joe attends Sunday school with his sister and goes to a regular school , he can atleast walk and roam around , but needs help in most of his regular things -- has very limited option for speech therapy .. his mother who is a teacher took 1 yr leave this year to take him around for speech therapy at NISH …. Ann also has similar issue – she goes to a regular school but then availability of specially trained teachers who can handle kids with special need , since Ann’s parents knew about the problem very early (she had Jaundice at the time of birth and doctors had told them about the possibility of Ann loosing hearing capabilities) they were taking her for speech therapy … Unni – on wheelchair, goes to regular school , got regular friends , but then his computer class is on second floor , and he cant go there … no access for wheel chair, he cant go for any outings … no onam celebration … infact he is not there in the class photo, his best friend takes Unni’s Old snap and Super imposes it on the class snap and gives it to Unni ….

This week we talk about different schemes govt has for Children and adults with special need, which car will be good for ramp for wheelchair, how we can take Unni and kids for Train journey … (chances are remote, carrying him from one platform to another and other practical hurdles …) ….And then we comment For specially abled kids India is not the place to live ....  in the evening I remind Esther who has still not seen Unni – “Do pray for Unni Chetan” and she says “I will mummyji” and asks “He still on wheelchair ?” ….

We are the world, we are the children

We are the one to make a brighter day

So let's start giving

There's a chance we're taking

We're taking our whole lives

It's true, we'll make a brighter day

Just you and me .. ….