3.7.2011 - Bal Anand & Plantation @ Home for Mentally Deficient Children

Ohhh ......... Another Beautiful Experience. Visiting an orphanage home. How was this activity different ? I'd say, although we have been to an orphanage home earlier, yet this one was different in terms of the quality of the visit. So on 3.7.2011 we visited an orphanage home called "BAL ANAND" This place is home to over 70 kids with ages group from new born to 18 years. It is divided into seperate floors for mentally ill children, for toddlers, for new borns & for kids of age 6 and above.


We went there with a sunday morning breakfast. We served the kids with idlis, cake & milk. They were indeed happy to see visitors taking care of them, playing with them .... we could tell. They responded so well, making us happy & joyful & enthusiastic.

For this visit, we re-learned our school time craft & tried to successfully incorporate it in the activity, making it a worthwhile learning session for the children alongwith fun ofcourse. After the breakfast got over, we divided the kids into 3 groups.

Youngest ones (Jr. & Sr. Kg) to do drawing & origami.







Mid age kids (1st to 3rd Std.) to make paper bags







                                                                               


AND the eldest ones (3rd Std. & above) to make pen stands. You will see how much the kids enjoyed doing this in all the pictures.

Finally we clicked lot of pictures with the kids, spoiled them a lil bit by giving them chocolates in the end ...... To now head to our next activity. PLANTATION.

This activity again brought us back to the place we had been to earlier, HOME FOR MENTALLY DEFICIENT KIDS, only this time to plant healthy trees. From our last visit here, we realised that these children need:

1. Lot of greenery around them to keep them in a pleasant mood,
2. Tulsi, Neem & Aleovera plants .. for health reasons.
3. Flowering plants to keep them smiling, happy & hopeful
4. Fruit bearing plants which will help the organisation.

So we gathered all these & planted them around the complex of this home. We hope our seeds will bear good results & a healthy living atmosphere for these people.

27.3.2011 - Siddhivinayak, Mount Mary Church & St. Anthony's Home for the Aged

Beginning of 2011. So in March, we all set our minds rolling for our activity this time. Again we tried to do an activity which we haven't indulged in, so far. Our idea always is ...... to help people in need, contribute how much ever is in our stride, spread smiles & joy & laughter, and experience something in return which will open our eyes to the actual realities of the world.


We started with going to Siddhivinayak & Mount Mary Church & distributed Puri Chole packed in small leaf containers wrapped well with paper .... to people who sit outside these places. With their eyes waiting all day in the hope, to make some bread butter, to fill their families stomach for the day.

Following that, on 27.3.2011, we visited theSt. Anthony's Home for the Aged. This was a home which provided shelter to 70 odd ladies. Old experienced eyes came gazing at us when we entered the place. The sister warned us not to take any pictures, so we dont have very many images of the place to share. But if I am able to word whatever memory I have of that place, I would say ... the place was filled up with laughter & enthusiasm in no time. We started with playing tambola with them. All the ladies enjoyed the game very very much. This was followed by prizes which they were really excited about. We also played few other games with them, in order to be able to connect with them better.

Treasurer of the Old Age Home - Sneaked out & took a pic wit us.

In the end, we gave all of them a small token of our love. We gifted each one of them with a nightwear and a handkerchief. A nightwear is what they use all day long -  to stay, to sit, to eat, to sleep.

Loss of Interest, A saddened feeling to be away from their home, No hope of expecting anyone to come meet them ..... we could sense this as we spoke to them, as we looked into their eyes. They were so over-whelmed to see us, young kids, chirping around them .... we were like their own children. They said to a few of us, "We see our children in you.", "We loved it when our grand-children back home would play around us all day", "We loved to take care of our children, cook them delicious food, wait all day long to see them back home with us in the evening"

As we left the place, they said, "WE WOULD LOVE TO HAVE YOU'LL OVER WITH US AGAIN" They wanted us to come repeatedly and meet them. Cause we could give them a smile, and they could give us blessings in return. After their own children & now the sisters who are incharge of this home, incharge of taking care of them ..... May GOD always watch over them.

20.11.2010 - Home for Mentally Deficient Children & IDA (In Defense of Animals)

Nov 2010, saw us do something different, something we hadn't done so far. Till date, we had been to places where people or children could talk to us, share their problems with us, play with us, enjoy with us. But this time, we chose to feel the pain of those who want to talk, play, study .... but can't. This time, our place of visit was the Home for Mentally Deficient Children.

Going to this place changed our lives, in ways more than one. We re-gained our sensitivity towards the world outside of normal human beings. We met these children & adults who wanted something ... the only thing ..... and realise its importance more than us, more than the normal humans ... LOVE. They did not care about fancy dresses, about tasty food, about chocolates. They cared for the love they got.

Here there were people of different age groups. This institution, besides having rooms for them to stay, had a common area for their lunch & dinner time .. where everyone got together & ate together. They also had schools where they teach them various crafts, stitching, dramatics, sports etc.

Mr. Geete, Incharge for this place ran the place inhabited with 280 + kids & adults, with utmost care & comforted each kid in times of need. It was an eye-opener, this place ..... which was their heaven.

Then from here, we went to a place called IDA = In Defense of Animals. It was an animal shelter for dogs & cats. They treat these street side animals for diseases, serve them daily meals & provide them a shelter to live.

We went there with a stock of food grains which will help to serve the dogs & loads of milk to feed the cats. Although we weren't allowed to go very close to these animals owing to their disease & open wounds, yet it was a empathetic site to watch these people take care of speechless animals who are in pain.

As we got back from these places today, we were left with a thought - How can we ever thank these wonderful people who help make this city, this world, this universe a better place to live. For normal humans, for mentally challenged humans as well as for speechless animals. A thought to ponder on !!!!!!!!!

19.9.10 - Apple Distribution in J.J.Hospital

So, here we are, after another 3 months from our previous activity .... on the 19th of September 2010, visiting the J.J.Hospital for distributing apples to all patients. We too permission pre-hand from the dean of the hospital, to be able to help the patients in a very small way that we can.

Assembled outside the hospital on the permitted date, showed the permission letter & started our drive. We divided ourselves into different groups, took the apples in cartons, loaded them onto the hospital trolley & ran around from ward to ward groupwise, handing over couple of apples to all patients.

 It was a painful site to see all those patients, each one suffering from a different ailment, struggling hard with life .....  struggling for survival. SURELY .... Having to pay length & heavy hospital bills, trouble for the relatives to keep visiting their dear ones in the hospital each day, the travel involved for the visitor, the anxiety of recovery for the patient himself, unrest & the whole hospital environment is not too cordial for one to feel at ease in.

Yet our small gesture did help to bring a smile on many faces. So somewhere, even though we weren't qualified doctors to cure their ailment, yet our small gesture & the healthy fruit did qualify us to be small scale MUNNA BHAI MBBS in some way :) Hope everyone stays healthy & strong always. And may the ones who were admitted GET WELL SOON !