A saturday outing!!!
I wake up with a start as my sony eric flashes !! I laugh at myself… a mobile that is used more as a organizer, a computer that serves its purpose of being a dvd player cum a juke box!!! I wake up restless…. It’s one of those much awaited Saturday…… after a tedious, eventful week, I really needed a break from my newly adopted biological cycle. Life at a BPO can do this to you…...
My rendezvous was with my colleagues : Beverly and Angelina and we were heading to a place called HOPE foundation. Well I made a couple of calls to Bev asking her to stand right in front of our TCS- JNR , asking her to wait for me even if I dash in there li’l late..
My decision making abilities after joining TCS has been amazing….. I no more stand in front of my wardrobe and wonder what to wear. I am at my best when I am clad with a smile and a good attitude.
I set out …and reach JNR after haggling over with the auto -wala.
I realized that I forgot to bring in my ID card which meant that I have to stand out of the gate . I peeked in and I was not surprised …..a board that read ::RECRUITMENT::. Just then a software counterpart , out of curiosity wanted to know why I was waiting out. He parted away saying that “Always take your id card even if you are on a weekend”
There is this interesting clan of people who are rational, focused , know exactly what they will do 23456 years from now. I belong to the opponent clan. The ones that flow with the current of life. If we do not find a way, life finds one for us. And when we try analyzing why things were what they were, we have no reason. And its even more interesting because there are quite a few like me.
Bev still didn’t show up… and I glared at the merciless sun, at every Merc that passed by and the busy crowd. I wondered ….Albeit some trees, lesser heat, lesser vehicles and more public transport will make it a greener and cleaner place, the filter kaapi, the beaches, the classic old buildings, the confused inhabitants torn between traditions and modernism, the stray dogs, the litter-free dustbins, corrupt government officers, the foot-boarders on MTC buses, the Rajnikanth fans, the city where every family has an Engineer, the pattu-saree-clad-jasmine-flower-adorned-large-bindi-stamped-aunties-who-goto -NYC-every-6-months-to-visit-their-sons, the computer institutes, early-morning shops, the idli-dosas, violated traffic signals, the vegetable sellers...all make this one helluva place to live in!
An auto honks as it simultaneously coughs out some carcinogens… I found Bev waving out for me.. After a sigh of relief I jumped in and we went straight to Angie’s place… Out there I recharged myself with a large glass of ice-cold lemon juice and we were back in the auto that geared up straight to Nungambakkam station.
Like any Indian railway station , this one was no exception. Dizzying stair -cases, jostling crowd, crooning hawkers, restless passengers. It is a pity that these stations shelters a number of homeless, underprivileged people. We get into a jam-packed compartment. There was this old woman whose face resembled a cosmetic box which is quiet understandable but the hair dresses that she adorned was really pathetic considering her age. This could have been an insight to an aspiring psycho-analyst!
We reached the tambaram ,and within few minutes we finally reached d- destination!!
As we entered the small independent house at the outskirts of the city, we were welcomed by flashing smiles, bracing hosts who weren’t even up to our knees. My eyes encountered a pokemon doll who had lost an ear, a tarzan with a broken leg and other such used up plastics being treasured by this tiny tots. And then my mind quickly reminded me that they are HIV +ve.
The HOPE foundation shelters 20 children and few widows, most of them affected with the HIV virus. But the most remarkable person who was a resource of inspiration for me was Miss. Pauline. She is a B.Com grad who resorted to be a nanny to all these kids. With little efforts , I am sure she could have become one of the TCS’ers or be a part of any other big company but her dedication to help the helpless is worth a mention. I was awestruck..
I pay regular visits to orphanages and I was always amazed by the confidence levels of those kids. But facing these children was really a challenge to me.
These widow mothers and children are the victims of those men beguiled by the gluttony of power and demesne. They are dead and gone leaving these sanguine puppets into the open fields. They have carved out a nightmarish horror of their own rhapsody.
It was time to bid adieu. The children were so thrilled when Bev took her vanity camera out . They happily posed for the pictures to be taken. Bev recalled that there were times when she had to lie to these kids when they question about the lost souls. She has been bringing her share of joy to these lovely kids for the past two years, be it in terms of clothes, food, toys or mere presence .
I came back home wiser . I learnt that Man is an invaluable creation of God . HE breathes life into us with a purpose and hence should be preserved. We should be contended and thankful to GOD for what we have, not brooding over what we dont! There are millions less lucky, less given, less endowed than me. I decided that I will do my part in bringing awareness about AIDS and I have wrote this to start with!
My rendezvous was with my colleagues : Beverly and Angelina and we were heading to a place called HOPE foundation. Well I made a couple of calls to Bev asking her to stand right in front of our TCS- JNR , asking her to wait for me even if I dash in there li’l late..
My decision making abilities after joining TCS has been amazing….. I no more stand in front of my wardrobe and wonder what to wear. I am at my best when I am clad with a smile and a good attitude.
I set out …and reach JNR after haggling over with the auto -wala.
I realized that I forgot to bring in my ID card which meant that I have to stand out of the gate . I peeked in and I was not surprised …..a board that read ::RECRUITMENT::. Just then a software counterpart , out of curiosity wanted to know why I was waiting out. He parted away saying that “Always take your id card even if you are on a weekend”
There is this interesting clan of people who are rational, focused , know exactly what they will do 23456 years from now. I belong to the opponent clan. The ones that flow with the current of life. If we do not find a way, life finds one for us. And when we try analyzing why things were what they were, we have no reason. And its even more interesting because there are quite a few like me.
Bev still didn’t show up… and I glared at the merciless sun, at every Merc that passed by and the busy crowd. I wondered ….Albeit some trees, lesser heat, lesser vehicles and more public transport will make it a greener and cleaner place, the filter kaapi, the beaches, the classic old buildings, the confused inhabitants torn between traditions and modernism, the stray dogs, the litter-free dustbins, corrupt government officers, the foot-boarders on MTC buses, the Rajnikanth fans, the city where every family has an Engineer, the pattu-saree-clad-jasmine-flower-adorned-large-bindi-stamped-aunties-who-goto -NYC-every-6-months-to-visit-their-sons, the computer institutes, early-morning shops, the idli-dosas, violated traffic signals, the vegetable sellers...all make this one helluva place to live in!
An auto honks as it simultaneously coughs out some carcinogens… I found Bev waving out for me.. After a sigh of relief I jumped in and we went straight to Angie’s place… Out there I recharged myself with a large glass of ice-cold lemon juice and we were back in the auto that geared up straight to Nungambakkam station.
Like any Indian railway station , this one was no exception. Dizzying stair -cases, jostling crowd, crooning hawkers, restless passengers. It is a pity that these stations shelters a number of homeless, underprivileged people. We get into a jam-packed compartment. There was this old woman whose face resembled a cosmetic box which is quiet understandable but the hair dresses that she adorned was really pathetic considering her age. This could have been an insight to an aspiring psycho-analyst!
We reached the tambaram ,and within few minutes we finally reached d- destination!!
As we entered the small independent house at the outskirts of the city, we were welcomed by flashing smiles, bracing hosts who weren’t even up to our knees. My eyes encountered a pokemon doll who had lost an ear, a tarzan with a broken leg and other such used up plastics being treasured by this tiny tots. And then my mind quickly reminded me that they are HIV +ve.
The HOPE foundation shelters 20 children and few widows, most of them affected with the HIV virus. But the most remarkable person who was a resource of inspiration for me was Miss. Pauline. She is a B.Com grad who resorted to be a nanny to all these kids. With little efforts , I am sure she could have become one of the TCS’ers or be a part of any other big company but her dedication to help the helpless is worth a mention. I was awestruck..
I pay regular visits to orphanages and I was always amazed by the confidence levels of those kids. But facing these children was really a challenge to me.
These widow mothers and children are the victims of those men beguiled by the gluttony of power and demesne. They are dead and gone leaving these sanguine puppets into the open fields. They have carved out a nightmarish horror of their own rhapsody.
It was time to bid adieu. The children were so thrilled when Bev took her vanity camera out . They happily posed for the pictures to be taken. Bev recalled that there were times when she had to lie to these kids when they question about the lost souls. She has been bringing her share of joy to these lovely kids for the past two years, be it in terms of clothes, food, toys or mere presence .
I came back home wiser . I learnt that Man is an invaluable creation of God . HE breathes life into us with a purpose and hence should be preserved. We should be contended and thankful to GOD for what we have, not brooding over what we dont! There are millions less lucky, less given, less endowed than me. I decided that I will do my part in bringing awareness about AIDS and I have wrote this to start with!
posted by Simply Aish!!! @ 1:02 AM
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