| Arun- the sports buff |
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Name: Arun
Age:
Home town:Madurai , Tamil Nadu
Family back ground : Father – Subbaiyya , is a way side umbrella mender while his mother, Chandra works in a hosiery company. His elder brother, Ramesh and younger brother Kannan are also inmates of Sisubhavan.
How he reached here: Father is a habitual alcoholic and abuses the children regularly; so their mother left them here. He is studying in class III in St.Thomas L P School.
Arun caught my attention the moment I stepped into the make shift pier along the backwaters where the kids were jostling to kick off the conversation. Standing aloof, he was curious about the commotion around. An air of refinement hovered around him as he stood patiently for his turn. I sat on one of the many red chairs there and gesticulated to him to take a seat. He immediately took the seat next to me. The twinkle in his eyes and the innocence on his face bowled me over in no time.
He was more than willing to share his dreams with me. As the other kids in the pack dispersed to watch a Malayalam movie on their new LCD TV ( which incidentally was donated by a good Samaritan just a few days back ), Arun stuck to me and set the ball rolling of an interesting chat. 'I like to listen to songs and more of them in my spare time. But on the weekdays, I get busy with studies, school and daily chores that leaves me with no spare time'. 'I look forward to the weekend when we get lots of free time to pursue our hobbies and play football, cricket and basketball to our heart's content.
“I want to study as much as I can and I will be a police officer when I grow up'. I was surprised to hear this clichéd reply as every third kid whom I met here had shared this same passion- a job in the police force! I was quick to interrupt him by saying that there are many other respectable jobs in todays' world and dropped a hint that he can consider others options as well . He was not willing to bite this bait and reiterated that only a police officer can catch robbers and make this place a safe place to live. Nice thought, I patted him at the back.
But if you were to make a second choice, what would be your dream profession? An auto rickshaw driver- his reply was spontaneous and out of the blue for me. ( The auto rickshaw is a popular three wheeled passenger carrier;- a huge hit among foreign tourists and locals alike!) Seeing a baffled look on my face, he justified his decision by his smart reasoning. I can pick up travelers and roam around the city the whole day. I like both driving and sight seeing and this option is just right for this. Kids are so very innocent and naive and they do not seem to wrack their brains on the money they earn or the prestige that comes with a job, while spelling out their preferences. Well, that's why they are called kids!!
“God sends children to enlarge our hearts, and to make us unselfish and full of kindly sympathies and affections.” -Mary Howitt
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