| Raju- Simple and down to earth |
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Name: Raju.K
Age: Around 11 years
Home town: Ranchi, Bihar
Family back ground : Father – Kumar sells home made pastries and Lala, his mother has no source of income. He has four siblings. Both his elder sisters are married and settled in Kolkata in East India.
How he reached here: He eloped from his home three years ago and was picked up from the Ernakulam railway station. His father used to beat him ruthlessly under the influence of alcohol. When the going got too tough, one evening he headed straight to the railway station from his school and got into the first available train. Lost and clueless, he landed up in Cochin, from where he was brought to Sisubhavan. Now he is studying in class III.
Raju has a distinct North Indian look that kept him apart in the crowd. His brownish, unkempt hair tossed around by the strong winds and the tall lanky frame grabbed my attention instantaneously. I was surprised to note that he can handle as many as three languages fluently. Apart from Malayalam and Hindi, he is fluent in his mother tongue Bihari as well, though he hardly uses it these days. He vividly described his home town and told me that his house was in a small alley way near the hospital junction and a small rail head runs near their home. He used to spend his free time in the nearby temple courtyard with his friends.
In his new home away from his home, he is happy and contented. He has many friends here and likes to watch Malayalam movies and play cricket and football during his free time. Though the spoken English classes during the weekend is something that he is not very enthusiastic about, he likes to play the games in the laptop of the English tutor.
Raju wishes to go back to his home after his studies; and is anxiously looking forward to meet his siblings though he appeared less enthusiastic about meeting his parents. When I asked him about his future goals and aspirations he appeared lost in thought for a while. After a long silence, he told me that he was willing to take up any job that can ensure him three square meals a day. “ I like to visit big cities like Bangalore and Chennai and travel on and on.
He appeared to me a wanderlust in the making, who would like to travel all his life, exploring fresh avenues and destinations.Simple and practical, Raju, prefers to keep both his feet firmly on the ground unlike many others who like to let their dreams soar high!
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