Umang is Suhail’s and my first initiative to give back to the society, we respect in some aspects and abhor in some other aspects. For those who know Suhail, would also know how deeply I am indebted to him for extending his hard-pressed time and dedication, whenever and wherever I have counted on it. He was the one to encourage me to talk to a nearby community people. Like a steady pillar of happiness and faith, he has brought about some sense out of the nothingness of the corporate life, that takes a big chunk of your time, leaving you totally numb to think and act upon anything else. I cannot begin this post without extending my gratitude toward him.
On somwhat personal note, I started today very early from office, day-dreamingly thinking that things would change for better, if I could unlearn to protect myself, people I cherish, admire and love. I have been holding myself back for a very long time now, but cannot help admit the things that I really wish to work on.
So, today while leaving office, I decided to talk to this community near Sector 63 chaunki, which I have watched from a close distance almost daily during all these mornings and evenings. To brief you about the background, most kids belong to families where the chief occupation of family members is working on the construction sites. With two working family members, and an average family size of 8-10 persons, this community earns petty wages hardly enough to sustain their daily needs. And since the parents are away at work the entire day, the kids back home either play or beg their day out at nearby tea stalls and thela wallas.
It’s been almost an year that I have been thinking, if I could talk and discuss what I had in mind with the households, which live undernourished and barely any sanitation facilities in their current scenario.
As always, I called up Vijay bhaiya just before reaching the community, to gather more self-confidence, and to seek his advice on how I should go about it. A brief discussion of about 10-15 mins with him clarified things for me to a large extent, and then, as always, he extended his support and best wishes. :)
So, when finally talking to the community people there, I realized they too were as willing to talk about the issues that they were facing. My first meeting with some of the community members was also a little intimidating though. A lot of people totally gheraoed me, and were wanting to stray me out of the scene. But with some elders from the community, they were finally put away. I intended to speak to them but the elders of the community requested me, some of them even folding their hands, telling me to ignore these guys. The kids were very enthusiastic about this new beginning. Their eyes had a reflection of hope and happiness, which I cannot bring about in words here. A few of my friends, who came to know about this new beginning, have promised to extend their support as and when required. My favorite, Bijan da, who is an excellent artist rolled his eyes the moment Suhail told him about it, and said “I am always there if you need any help.”
Through this blog, I wish to share various shades that Suhail, Bijan da, and I could absorb and reflect on and ask for your advice, support and good wishes while working with the kids.
Stay tuned in for regular updates! :)
