Fourteen-year-old Babudev* lives with a dull but continual ache in his heart. It has to do with thoughts about his parents, who are HIV-affected, unable to take care of him, and have been away from him.
This Deepavali season, there was some respite from the pain. For, he got to channel it into a creative endeavour: making colourful earthen lamps.
His story is similar to those of 21 other children and teenagers at ‘Child’, a shelter run by a small NGO in Kolathur.
During the Deepavali season, the teenagers learnt the art of making earthen lamps from a volunteer at the home. It took only one training session for the youngsters to pick up the skill.
“First I think of an object and the way it looks, for example, a flower or fruit. And then I try to imagine the colour of that object on the lamps. In this way I try to make those lamps attractive,” says Babu.
When asked why people should buy these lamps instead of cheaper Chinese lamps, he says, “The use of earthen lamps goes back to ancient times. Our ancestors have used these lamps and we should use it as well. The sudden arrival of Chinese lamps can give you colourful lights but not the aesthetic charm.”
A sixteen-year-old boy who also does embroidery, says the focus was not so much on selling as on wanting to do our best.
“We did our best and are happy with our work,” he adds.
Another boy (15), who lived on the streets before coming to the shelter home, says, “We always wanted to do something creative but never imagined these lamps would look so beautiful. It gives us immense satisfaction.”
Founded in 2005 by social worker Senthil Kumar, ‘Child’ not only provides shelter to children but also helps in nurturing their talent to bring about a change in their lives.
“Many years ago while working with the Family Planning Association of India, I was closely monitoring a HIV-affected couple. But what turned out to be a bigger concern for me was to attend to their children in their absence. None of the NGOs I approached agreed to provide them with shelter because their parents were HIV-affected, although the children tested negative,” says Kumar.
“Today my non-profit organisation provides shelter to destitute children whose parents are HIV-affected, orphans and street children.”
(*Children’s names have been changed or left out to protect identity).
