Vaishali

We reached there around 3:30 pm in the college bus as a part of our SSR activities in SCIT. I knew that they were 'positive'. Somewhere deep in my heart, I feared. What if I get infected. No doubt, I have seen those ads on the TV. But some how my rational mind stopped logical thinking and started doubting thoses commercials. What if they were wrong? what if I get a cut somewhere and my blood comes in contact with that virus? I need too be careful! Coz this is uncurable. Once you are positive, your life is ruined! With such thoughts running in my mind, we entered Manavya. Kids of age ranging from 4 to 17 started looking at us with lot of questions. Their care-taker (A medical practitioner and a full time care taker of manavya) called them into their classroom. After a long time, I saw the photograph of chacha Nehru on the wall of a class room or for that matter anywhere. The walls were covered with a lot of hand made posters on their subjects. On right, was a poster stating some chemical elements and their signs. Besides that poster was a painting of a tree with some names of students on the leaves. On top left corner of other wall was a beautiful poster with names and capital of the union territories. Small blue colored benches aligned in two columns placed in the room slowly started filling as I entered it. I went and sat on the second bench still having those thoughts in my mind. Suddenly Vikas - a 4-5 year old kid in his white shirt comes and tapping on my shoulder gestures me to get up. I stood up. He pulled me out of the bench, went inside, pulled me back to the seat and started talking to me. I still wasn't able to believe that I was surrounded by a bunch of 'positive' kids. Vikas easily pulled me into conversation with him and within a few moments I succmbed to his lovely smile and those kiddish mischiefs. He called his friends - sangram, Jitu and a few more and they all started talking about lot many things. Suddenly a heavy thought came to my mind, which normally I would not think. I said to my self - Jo hona ho vo ho.. I would not be prejudiced to these kids. If people like you ( here me) start aloofing them from rest of us then what would the rest of world do to them!

The rest of the time we spent with those kids I totally forgot that they were 'positive'. We really had a wonderful time. Enjoying the songs and dances those kids performed, visited there dorms, talked to the care takers, saw the greeting cards made by them and a lot more. While those singing and dancing sessions were going on, one small girl -Vaishalli- came to me and asked to have a photograph of hers in one of those cams. I helped her out in taking the picture. But I didnt knew that this small act of mine would make a large impact on her heart. I asked her to dance. She was shy. So I took her to the so-called podium and started dancing and singing with her. She was so happy and in few moments she forgot about her shyness and was dancing ful-fledged with me. After that session she held my hand and pulled me to one of the cupboards near the wall to show some of the cards she had made. Of course the work she and her friends had done was beyond words but on top of that was the excitement she had in showing me the artifacts. She searched through the bunch of cards and took out those ones which she had made. With a sparkle in her eyes she would start explaining me something in marathi, which I never understood literally, but nodded as if I was understanding. And deep inside, I was actually understanding what she was trying to say. now thats a mistry how I did that! Suddenly she got one of her favorite cards and gave it to me saying - dada, ye aap k liye. Aap le jao. It was not the card which embazzled me, but it was her attitude which awestruk me. That 10 year old kid who had not done anything worng to the world, was being punished by the fate of being HIV positive; struggling each and every second with the bacteria and the virus and other infections - which one might turn fatel; does not know who her parents were and what her Date of birth was and life had taken away so much from her - was offering me a gift! I still feel the goosebumps by this thought itself. She, insipite of her battle with her 'positive'-ness, and from whom society has taken away everything, was giving a gift - a priceless and beutiful gift as she had amazingly made with her hands using some waste- to some one whom she had known not more than an hour! I don't know what lesson I should draw from this. Was she an example of God? Is she a saint or something? or she is just that fearless kid for whom relations are more important than anything else in this world? She was holding my hand and with that happiness and excitement she was pulling me around the whole campus to show the smallest details where she had done some or the other thing. I don't really understand how I suddenly meant so much to her. Dude! what else is love?

During those conversations, I asked her about her date of birth and her parents. She didn't knew any of them. It was when I asked the care taker I came to know that these kids originally belonged to the red light area in Pune and it was the child welfare comunity (CWC) which brought them here. The organization - Manavya- was founded by Vijayatai Lawate in 1991 after she came to know about these kids being thrown away by their parents. The stories of how she had brought this institute to this level, are again too awful. Around one hour later, we started gathering in the bus and Kranti was headcounting in the bus. All of a sudden there were calls for me. Some one screamed from out of the bus, "Saurabh, some kid is calling you out there." I rushed out of the bus to see what happened and who was calling. In that corner of the building it was Vaishalli standing there. I went to her and asked what was it. She held my hand, pushed me nearer and said, 'dada, mera budday 20 april ko hai. Aap aana. Aao ge na?'

I said yes, I hugged her. She hugged me back and said bye.

I don't know what all happened there and I was actually in a confused state all the time. My head and heart were fighting with each other but my actions said that my heart is powerful. I don't want to say about how we - the people, or the so called society - should behave and should not behave. But I just want to ask one thing. If those kids can give out the most precious thing - love - to the society which has betrayed them, then why can't we give the same to them.

Is it that hard?

Thanks,

SD

Photo courtesy : Indranil Das

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