“We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give. Winston Churchill”
15th August 2017 was just another day from the routine life. Except that it was our 71st
Independence Day, there was nothing extraordinary about this day until . . . the journey for an
unexplored world began. At the dawn of sun, we, Helping Hands – a team of enthusiastic volunteers
set our journey to a world so rare, and yet so beautiful.
An 8-year-old little girl Swara, was also proudly a part of our team and was equally excited as us to
visit Ballawadi, our destination of the day. To begin with, Ballalwadi is a village located in Pune
district of Maharashtra, India. It is a boarding school to more than 350 Adivasi children coming
from the Katkari Samaj, a tribe that fight for basic survival day and night, while people like us who
have the privilege of living in a metro, fight for a window seat in a bus or train. Dragging each day
somehow, hunting for food, shelter and money, education has no room in their lives. Swapnil
Sawant, one of our Group Founders, who was also accompanying us had visited Ballalwadi and
knew how difficult life is for these children. He shared his experience with us which resulted in this
small initiative on 15th August 2017 by our team.
When we finally arrived at the boarding school, we could see too many pairs of twinkling eyes filled
with hope, bright smiles without any practical reason, and pure souls that had already seen the
dark realities of life. We began with the flag hoisting and sung the National Anthem with them. A bit
of sports and few quizzes were also played. To our surprise, these kids were way smarter and
generous; we are much grateful to the school authorities for giving us the required permission and
letting us spend the day with them.
It was not an impromptu plan or a random decision. It was a collective effort that included small
donations from families, friends and our associates that turned our aim into a reality. The funds
that were raised enabled us collecting food plates, fans and lights, chocolates and many other
goodies for them. As evening rolled in, we realized it was time for our departure. And our emotional
attachment to this place and the beautiful souls had grown strong enough that we found it much
harder to say our goodbyes. But, we also made an unsaid promise to come back again.
Quite often we wonder about our contribution to the country, as a citizen, as a human...
“The reality is underprivileged children of India need our help as living harsh circumstances, the
children got exposed to the dark realities of life. They lose their right to emotional, physical and
social development and are more likely to have depression, low self-esteem, lack of sleep and
nutrition.”
15th August, 2017 was beyond an initiative. It was an experience that made us change our outlook
on everything. Maybe respecting our nationality and fulfilling our duties makes us a good citizen.
But contributing for a cause and helping our fellow men lead a better life, definitely makes us a
better Citizen and a Human too. More to come... may be this is just a beginning - more to learn
more to share... This is towards making a Better India – to believe and implement our PM’s mission
Padega India toh Badega India !!!.
Helping Hands Team
No comments:
Post a Comment