One evening, after my field work, we went to an NGO which has a community college, an orphanage and a handloom cottage industry. I was sitting by the play area watching the kids play; around 60 of them in all.
I noticed a child, Dhanush, around two years old, who was trying repeatedly to get on a swing but he couldn’t. I then went over, carried him, made him sit on it and pushed it for him. The smile on his face was a beautiful sight. Then I took him to the merry-go-round, the see-saw and every other ride in the park. He was happy and excited.
We went to the swing again and this time he was scared, so I made him sit on my lap as we enjoyed our little ride. A bell rang and all the kids ran to a hall where they were served porridge. I took him, got his bowl of porridge and seated him to have his drink.
Then the time came when we had to leave. By this time all the kids had gone indoors except my little friend. Thinking he had come to bid goodbye, I waved at him, but my little friend did not. It was so hard but I tore myself from the situation and got into the car watching little Dhanush standing still with longing in his eyes.
The sight of him still haunts me. Just a little bit of care and love shown one evening made such a huge difference to him! Are we ever grateful to our parents who care for us everyday?
The writer is a student of II Year, M.S.W., Madras Christian College.
