Welcome 2008

To celebrate the dawning 2008, what better way than to reach out to the outside world and feel your inner self expand? I joined a friend's group that was planning to visit an orphanage for HIV affected children called Diya. There were children from age of 4 to 14. To take care of children as such is one thing and when they need special care like this, the effort and dedication of the voluntary group to undertake this responsibility definitely needs recognition.

We arranged for some gifts, art materials & toys for them. While I felt good helping out my friend in the purchasing and planning stuff, visiting those children was even a better experience. While I was expecting them to be slow at things, I was proved absolutely wrong. They were a bunch of enthusiastic kids at par with any other normal child. They go to school, sing and dance, play cricket and love gifts from friendly strangers like us!

I dont remember all their names, but let me see... Karuna LKG, is a shy girl who likes people to hold her and shower her with affection. Asha is another bright kid with sparkle in her eyes, very organised and mature for her age! There is Chandana (VIII std), the eldest of the lot who helped us manage our gift distribution and handle the younger ones. While one other girl was a great painter, one boy was so good at dancing. Within an hour we felt physically drained handling them but they were all charged up performing group dances for hit film songs for us.

Honestly I dont know how one feels with this disease sitting inside you eating away your life. I dont know what physical limitations and pain you are set to face. But these tiny angels give life to one word - Hope. Hope to do what you want. Hope to live the maximum you can. Hope to think beyond limitations. And dont even worry of things that you can do nothing about. Definitely for people like us whose wish list just never ends, there is a lot to learn from them. Wishing them all a happy 2008 and a wonderful life on earth.