Name: Ajith
Age: 14 years
Home town: Rajakkad, Idukki
Family back ground : Father- Sugathan works in a flower shop at his home town. Mother expired; father remarried a home nurse who will be away from home for many months at a time due to her work commitments.
How he reached here: They don't have a house of their own and his parents finds it difficult to support him with their limited income. Only three months has passed since he came to Sneha Bhavan.
Though Ajith belongs to the picturesque village of Rajakkad, a popular tourist spot famous for its mountains, wildlife and rose gardens, life has never been a bed of roses for this down- to- earth boy. He was staying with the family of the teacher who teaches Judo in Snehabhavan before coming to this institution. He spends his vacation at his teacher's home as Ajith has no house of his own. This boy's father stays in the flower shop itself, where he works, while his mother will be always away from the home town due to her work commitments as a home nurse.
What is your biggest dream? I asked. Pat came the reply ;' I have no particular dream and am ready to do any job'! Though I was startled by his unconventional answer, I asked him why he is not nurturing any dreams? ' If I don't get what I wish for, I will be all the more depressed, so I think it is better to have a mind set to do any job that comes your way as I believe in dignity of labour' he concluded. I couldn't help appreciating the level headiness of this boy as I got on with my next query about his favorite hobbies.
'I like football and cricket and indulges in hotly contested matches with my pals and the foreign soccer coach who makes sure to hone up our footwork and ball passing skills. Sachin Tendulkar is my favorite Indian cricket player and I also love to play cricket at my free time'. Judo is something special to me as the Judo coach is not just his martial arts teacher but also his greatest mentor in his life, who has influenced and inspired him all through. He looks forward to the summer vacations that are round the corner as he can make yet another visit to his favorite Judo master's home.
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Name: Athul Jeemon
Age:
Home town: Koothattukulam
Family back ground : Father expired. Mother (Sadia) is a home nurse and remains away from home for many months at a time due to her work commitments.
How he reached here: They don't have a home of their own and his mother is unable to support the kids with her small income. He is studying in class II.
Rubbing on the sprightly charm of his elder brother, Athul has also a breezy demeanor. However, he differs from his elder brother in his career choice. ' I want to be a police officer so that I can bring the thieves and thugs to book and make this world a safer place to live' he giggled. 'Nice choice' I nodded in agreement.
Fresh from an evening bath, Athul sported a bright floral printed shirt and a fresh coat of talcum powder as he posed for our cameras. To keep the chat afloat I asked about his hobbies. ' I like to play football, cricket and basket ball and look forward to the sight seeing trips organized by the institute from time to time. I love to see the huge ships that are docked in the deep backwaters'. He is also hooked up to movies and he makes sure to catch up with the movie on the television screen during weekends.
Average in his studies, he has set his goals really high and aims to achieve it with the support and encouragement that he gets from this institute.
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Name: Akhil Jeemon
Age: 13 Years
Home town: Koothattukulam
Family back ground : Father expired. Mother (Sadia) is a home nurse and remains away from home for many months at a time due to her work commitments.
How he reached here: They don't have a home of their own and his mother is unable to support the kids with her small income.
Highly charged up and always on the move, Akhil is a breezy kid. ' Did you know that I know to drive an auto?' Tossing a rather quirky query he stirred up my interest instantaneously. I stood awestruck for a while before gathering my cool. 'However, I need to get a license and should be 18 years of age to drive it as a profession' he evened off my doubts.
But what is so fascinating about auto driving? I queried. ' I like driving; shuttling from one end of the city to the other with all types of passengers could be real fun' he tried to drive home his point. As I was trying to make some sense for his passion for these bright yellow three wheelers called auto rickshaws ( these are also known as tuk-tuk), he came with an interesting tail piece. 'This job can fetch you a lot of money too so that I can buy a home of our own and look after my mother at her old age.'
'My greatest aim is to have a house of our own and I know it is going to be a long and arduous journey till that goal. God willing, with a lot perseverance and hard work I should be able to do it' he concluded with a sigh. I could read his apprehensions and anxieties and decided to leave him alone in his own world as I moved towards his younger brother Athul who was munching away a toffee after an exciting and arduous spell of sprint around the ground.
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Name: Balasubramanian
Age:
Home town: Thampanoor, Trivandrum
Family back ground : Father – Krishnan runs a way side footwear repair shop. Mother Sudha is a housewife. Bala has five siblings, some of whom are in other poor homes.
How he reached here: Bala reached here 7 years back as a small kid when his parents who were unable to support a large family dropped him here. Now he is studying in class VI.
Good looking and pleasant, Bala looked very cute and endearing by any standard. Less words and more action seemed to be the unwritten agenda of this cute boy as I could spot him doing all his assigned tasks such as sweeping the little patch of ground and folding clothes among others even as he kept the conversation alive. He dreams of a secure future after he pass out from this institution. He likes to make the past inmates who have made this institute proud, his role models rather than someone whom he hasn't met in flesh and blood. A sensible thought indeed!
' I like to be a police officer' he told me with a big smile as I was left wondering about the possible reason for the overwhelming popularity of this profession among these boys. Could it be the umpteen police officers roles donned by their favorite film stars?- I was puzzled. I decided to ponder further by asking a rather straight question to Bala. What is it that you find fascinating in a police officer's job ? I asked. The status and the respect apart from a chance to serve the nation. The answer came in a platter as I decided to catch up with the brother duo of Akhil and Athul who were running with the pet dog, Grigio all around the ground.
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Name: Ramesh
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 brothers Kannan and Arun, who are both younger to him 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 VI.
As I stood baffled amidst a crowd of jovial kids, wondering how ans where to start a conversation, Ramesh grabbed my hand and took me to the leafy corner of the ground where some of his other friends were waiting. The naive and nondescript features of Ramesh and his calm demeanor grabbed my attention in the first glance itself .We sat in a circle, I distributed some toffees and balloons to win the hearts of these tiny tots. As the other kids got busy with blowing balloons and playing rugby with them, I set the ball rolling of an interesting conversation.
'I want to be a police officer and earn a respectable position in the society' he said with starry eyes. ' I want to take good care of my parents as they are struggling to make both ends meet with a meager income' he paused to watch my reaction. I prompted him to go on. With a wry smile, he continued' I like my younger brothers very much and want them also to come up in life.
I am happy here as I get to read a lot, play with friends and learn Spoken English. Probably what I like the most is playing games on the laptop of the volunteers who handle spoken English classes in the weekend'. He beamed naughtily. Soon the bell rang, signaling the evening tea time, which made him scurry to the dining room for his share of steaming cup of tea and snacks.
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