It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men ..

For the past almost 2 years ,everyday morning around 8:45 am and evening around 3:45 pm , I see bunch of boys aged from 6-14 years going to and coming back from school. While they pass our home , I hear them talking and laughing loud. Somedays Ezekiel gives them ‘Ta Ta, Ba Bye’ and they all smile at him. These children go to a small Govt school near our place.  I had observed that most of them had old bags, worn out shoes and some kids didn’t have any foot wear at all. Then ‘Janamma’ Ezekiel’s nanny told me that these kids are from orphanage near by , and are known for their mischievousness – as they ransacked a small shop nearby, they  jump compound walls and climb trees and pluck mangoes or any seasonal fruits, and in general be alert of these boys , especially the grown up boys ...

Few weeks back, 2 of the older boys did jump our boundary wall and plucked 2-3 mangoes(this year we just had 5-6 mangoes) and by the time Anil saw them , they jumped and ran back to school. Anil did go to school and met teacher who told him that the kids are from orphanage and they have got lot of complaints, but cannot do anything much .... Anil was upset about the whole thing and after listening to everything I thought what else will children do when they are deprived of small small pleasures of life and when they know there is nobody to actually care for them , nobody to ask them what they want , nobody to buy a new pair of slippers for them, or books, or bags ... It is very easy for us ‘The Society’ to blame the children and tag them as ‘criminals in making’ but what do we expect children to  grow as , or do when they are treated as Unwanted , blamed for non of their mistake (being orphan was not their choice) by the same ‘Society’

I have wondered how it is to adopt kids, how is it to be parents of adopted children ... I remember as child we had a sweet liitle girl Chinky* in our neighbourhood she was 2 yrs old. Chinnky’s elder brother Bittu was in our school in class 10^th, later I came to know that Chinky was adopted  - she was Aunty’s  sister’s daughter .Chinky’s mother died during delivery and her father didn’t want to take care of her . She was lucky that her aunt adopted her and took care of her just like her own kid, when I was growing up, in college one of my favourite English Lecturer had a adopted son, but we used to hear that things were not so smooth for Ma’am and son. Then in Bangalore came to know off an Old Dr couple who had adopted and raised around 10 kids, they used to come to church with their youngest adopted daughter, around 5 years who old had lot of deformities and had to be carried, their all other children were well educated and well settled.  But my observation has been the middle class section of our ‘society’ always has lot of inhibition about adoption –and always discourage he idea – the usual reasoning ‘ Apna Apna hota hai prayaa prayaa rehta hai’ which would mean an outsider will never become one of your own -  or the reasoning – How can one disown their Biological Parents and how can one proclaim the foster parents as their ‘Parents’.....  I always have lot of respect for People who have adopted children, more respect for those people who had their own kids and decided to share happiness with children who were orphans .... It is more difficult to raise children than giving birth and leaving them alone ....

I had heard about this nearby orphanage 4 years back , but that time I was living in some other locality. From what I understand the orphanage is quite close by to our present home, but i still have not seen it. All I know is one priest is taking care of the boys and the orphanage and he gets lots of complaints about the boys ... I also came to know that some of the older boys are trained in some vocation like carpentry and mason work and the cupboards  in our house was done at their workshop. .... Last time I had been to orphanage was at Bangalore almost 10 years  – Infant Jesus Children’s Home – home of Children whose parents were victim of AIDS .... and it was heart breaking to see healthy kids being victim of discrimination ...... Many times I have thought of checking out the Orphange near our place , thought of going there with lots of colours for painting , take some badminton rackets and shuttle cocks, some books, bags , slippers , things which they would need , they would want ... but I don’t have the courage to face them .... maybe somewhere even I feel guilty of being part of the society who looks down upon them ,calling them rogue  ...