There are quite a few huts just outside my office, all of them inhabited by - I believe - a single community of Gujarati tribals.
Typical of such settlements, these huts too have the usual assortment of drunk men, screaming women, dirty kids, crap on the road etc. All the usual elements that make 'people like us' crinkle our noses, look in the other direction and walk away. Even when people stop to give their leftovers or alms, it is a sight to see them holding the leftovers at an arm's length.
Amidst all this, two little girls catch my attention daily. Aged possibly 6 and 3, they are possibly among the most adorable girls one could see. Fair (not a criterion for beauty in my sight, but am mentioning it as a differentiator among slum kids one sees who get tanned by being exposed to the sun the whole day), glowing skins, bright eyes, really cuddly like soft toys. And generally pretty clean!
Like most slum kids, they have the most carefree smiles, which adds immensely to their entire demeanour. Give them a nice bath, dress them right, and I challenge any human with a beating heart not to pick them up, cuddle them, hold them close and bless them.
Every time I look at them, I wonder about their future. What would happen to them as they grow up in that environment? All sorts of questions, all sorts of worries crowd my mind.
Sometimes I also wonder if it is possible to take them away and bring them up with my own children. Or maybe get them a good foster home. Give them a chance at a bright future.
And then I think - is it right to separate them from their parents? Maybe, my view of a bright future is a product of my environmental conditioning; and they may wither in that. Possibly, where and how they stay are their roots. Maybe God wanted them to be the wild flowers they are, and not the ornamental flowers in the four walls of a house.
Also, all those other 'societal' thoughts - how will their parents react if I talk to them; what will other people say; can I really take care of them; will - by opening their cocoons, I'll end up killing the butterflies inside?
But then, maybe again, maybe God has raised this paternal feeling in me to be the catalyst for a change in their lives...
Questions, thoughts, confusions. What do I do?
Typical of such settlements, these huts too have the usual assortment of drunk men, screaming women, dirty kids, crap on the road etc. All the usual elements that make 'people like us' crinkle our noses, look in the other direction and walk away. Even when people stop to give their leftovers or alms, it is a sight to see them holding the leftovers at an arm's length.
Amidst all this, two little girls catch my attention daily. Aged possibly 6 and 3, they are possibly among the most adorable girls one could see. Fair (not a criterion for beauty in my sight, but am mentioning it as a differentiator among slum kids one sees who get tanned by being exposed to the sun the whole day), glowing skins, bright eyes, really cuddly like soft toys. And generally pretty clean!
Like most slum kids, they have the most carefree smiles, which adds immensely to their entire demeanour. Give them a nice bath, dress them right, and I challenge any human with a beating heart not to pick them up, cuddle them, hold them close and bless them.
Every time I look at them, I wonder about their future. What would happen to them as they grow up in that environment? All sorts of questions, all sorts of worries crowd my mind.
Sometimes I also wonder if it is possible to take them away and bring them up with my own children. Or maybe get them a good foster home. Give them a chance at a bright future.
And then I think - is it right to separate them from their parents? Maybe, my view of a bright future is a product of my environmental conditioning; and they may wither in that. Possibly, where and how they stay are their roots. Maybe God wanted them to be the wild flowers they are, and not the ornamental flowers in the four walls of a house.
Also, all those other 'societal' thoughts - how will their parents react if I talk to them; what will other people say; can I really take care of them; will - by opening their cocoons, I'll end up killing the butterflies inside?
But then, maybe again, maybe God has raised this paternal feeling in me to be the catalyst for a change in their lives...
Questions, thoughts, confusions. What do I do?
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