Wednesday 16 March 2016

MOHE RANG DE: #KhuleKeKheloHoli

When little Rai used to come back home after school with her Grand Pa, the tall rock-wall engraved by some old fat tree routes always made her curious. She was completely obscured from the unknown world behind, by that notorious gigantic wall. An unseen world full of chirping, scuttling, and restless noise. The little mind was active enough to draw a vivid imagination of the noisy world behind the wall. 
One day she asked her Grand Pa
   
Rai: "Who are they Dadu? Why they constantly make noise?"
Grand Pa: "Few little kids stay there. As they are young just like     you, they create noise while playing."
 Rai: "But how can they play all the time? When I go to school, I hear them shouting and playing all over. When I return back from school I hear them doing the very same thing."
Grand Pa: Just a smiling silence. (He was not so willing to deliver more information to little Rai)
Rai: "Don't their teachers and parents scold them Dadu?"
Grand Pa: "I guess, No."
Rai: "Don't they have any homework to finish in time? Don't they have to mug up essay and rhymes for surprise test? You don't even allow me to watch Doremon after 6.30 as I have to finish my homework before dinner"
Grand Pa: " No beta, they don't have such stuffs to do."
Rai: "Why but? They are not punished by teachers for playing all the time and not doing their homework!!! Their parents too don't scold them!!"   
Grand Pa: "No, they don't go to school I think. They are orphans."
Rai: "They are what?" (Her eyes popped up. She was utterly confused as the word Orphan was something like brand new in her little vocabulary) 
Grand Pa: "Orphan. They don't have parents or anyone to take care of them. Most of them don't even go to school I guess. You are too young to understand their difficult and complex situation darling. Grow up a little more and you will realize the entire fact." 
  
For a while the little mind stopped questioning to Dadu. Somehow she felt by her Grand Pa' s wise words that she is somehow not allowed to dig the chirpy noise deeper. One fine morning Rai was all ready for her school. When she stepped out in street dressed in her white school uniform and loaded with her huge school bag (which seemed like too heavy for that little girl) that unseen wondrous noisy world was trapped into her eyes. She saw those noisy, playful orphans giggling, laughing and moving with great excitement, two or three adult people trying hard to make them stand in a queue. A bus (just like her school bus) was waiting in front of the gate (the always closed gate in the middle of that tall gigantic wall) and the noisy kids are getting into that bus one by one.  
Rai: " Dadu look, they are going to school I guess. But you told me that day they don't go to school."
Grand Pa: "They are not going to school beta."
Rai: "How do you know that?"
Grand Pa: " Can you see any of them in school uniform or carrying a school bag like you."
Rai: "NO. Then where are they going in that bus."
Grand Pa: "I don't know beta"
Rai: "But, I want to know Dadu. Why don't you tell me anything? You were saying something about their difficulty but I can't see any difficulty. They are so happy. Can't you see?"
Her Grand Pa could feel that little soul is slowly getting on her nerves and is almost about to burst into endless questions. So her wise Grand Pa intelligently calmed her down and assured her that after school he will elaborate the meaning "Orphan" to little Rai. Surprisingly, while coming back from school, Rai was not at all inquisitive towards the noisy world behind the wall. Her Dadu knew little girl's nature very well. Rai is a girl with huge passion for exploring the unknown, for investigating the undisclosed and for revealing the unrevealed. Her mysterious silence and unconcerned behavior struck the wise man. Now it was Dadu's turn to burst into curiosity. Careless Ria accumulated enough astonishment in Grand Pa's mind. Grand Pa almost prepared a short and brief Wikipedia on "Orphan" to present before Rai. He didn't want her to be aware of that dark, pathetic and unfortunate side of the society at this little age. So the prepared Wikipedia was  a softer and safer version of "Orphan". But Rai unknowingly wasted all his efforts.
Grand Pa: "Don't you want to know about those kids, who play all the time and don't do their homework at all?
Rai:  "Oh Yes!! They are Orphans, I know that."
Grand Pa: "But you had lots of question in your mind about their life this morning. Right?? Okay let me tell you then. I promised you any way."
Rai: "Yes, but I know everything about orphan now."
Grand Pa: "What!!! How do you know beta? I didn't say anything to you."
Rai:  "Our history teacher told us today."
Grand Pa: "What did she tell ? Did you ask her too?"
Rai: "No Dadu, I didn't ask her anything. But she told us the story of  great Mother Teresa in history class."
Grand Pa: "What she taught you in history class?" 
Rai: "She told us how Mother Teresa dedicated her entire life for well being of those poor, helpless orphans. I learned the meaning of charity today. She also told us that an educated person's life remains incomplete and meaningless unless and until he helps the needy people liberally. Each and every citizen should be inspired by Mother Teresa. I want to be like her. She was so amazing Dadu." 
Grand Pa was amazed, surprised and spellbound seeing little Rai's knowledge. Few days back she didn't even know the meaning of "Orphan" and today how amazingly she is well concerned about her duty and responsibility towards Orphan. Moreover he got shocked  and lost all his words by one more innocent question from Rai "Have you ever done any charity work for orphans Dadu?? How does it feel exactly??"

It was the month of March. Rai was at her home as her school was closed that day. A bright sunny day it was. The sky was shining, the foam like cloud was floating around. Little Rai was so happy seeing her money plant dancing in breeze. She felt mother nature is also participating  with her in that big event. The festival of color finally arrived. Today Rai is going to take her first little footstep towards her charity work. Dadu bought more than 50 pichkaris (spray guns) and gulaal (color powder) packets from market last night. Rai's parents ordered packets of samosa, mithai and other snacks for those noisy kids. They all went to that orphanage. Little Rai stood in front of that notorious wall. But it could no more isolate Rai from that noisy world. Rai was surprised seeing the sharp contrast between the two worlds separated by that huge wall boundary. It was not a special day for those orphans. They are not celebrating Holi, they have not put on any Holi special white clothes, they are not spraying water color or not throwing gulaal over each other.
They are playing playing and playing in dust just like any other day. 

source: shutterstock.com
souce: www.clipartof.com
                                                    
Seeing Rai with her family, those little kids rushed to them. Rai distributed pichkaris to them. They burst into a high pitched uproar full of excitements. Rai colored their faces, she was engrossed in spraying color on them with her pichkari. They were so happy, so joyful, so restless in celebrating Holi with each other. Rai has no burden of homework today. She turned into a playful and noisy kid just like those orphans, playing Holi and enjoying the samosa and mithai with them. Grand Pa was standing still in the corner with his teary eyes. How amazing to see his little Rai playing the role of an innocent angel to those helpless and deprived souls.At this age he achieved a fulfillment to his life. His life is no more incomplete. Little Rai completed him.

 “I’m pledging to #KhulKeKheloHoli this year by sharing my Holi memories at BlogAdda in association with Parachute Advansed.”

source: photoshelter.com
Holi- A festival of color, a festival of love. Why to share the color and love only among ourselves. Why don't we spread the color in the colorless lives of thousand of underprivileged people. Why don't we share our love with them. Just a few little things can bring big smile on their face. So come and let's wake sleeping Rai up inside us. Let's complete our beautiful life this Holi.
  
Wishing a very happy and safe Holi to all my readers. No need to be scared of damaged skin and hair with harsh color. Prachute oil will take  great care of your hair & skin. Prefer herbal gulaal to commonly available chemical one. Set your spirit free.

5 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. Overwhelming comment Madam.Thank you so much. But leave no room for tears. It's celebration time.:) :)

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  2. Nice story with beautiful moral.

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    Replies
    1. Thank you so much Upasana for your appreciation

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