Belaku

As the festival of belaku( Diwali) is round the corner i hope the darkness inside is blown out and we have belaku in our lives externally and internally . In order to spread some happiness and love we went looking for belaku . This belaku shishu nivasa is a orphanage and destitute home for children in NR colony in Bangalore . I had traveled all my life on this road as i am a south banglorean and hadn't noticed it till one my good friends and family well wisher did inform me about the same. She promised me that this was one of those other orphanages where children were taken care well as good as a child in house.

On a Tuesday afternoon as i claimed the stairs of this house i saw racks of shoes kept neatly in the corridor of the house . I remembered my school days in Sandur Residential School where as boarders that we threw everything as soon as we came near our bed cupboard. The arrogance that our father sent money and it is meant to be spent and the ignorance of what the value of that money was unknown to me .As i look back today u wonder what blunders you made and the sacrifices that our parents made to give us good education and support to lead our lives and what lucky one's we were . There are thousands of people who are not as lucky as we were or rather shall i say are as we are still lucky today . As some great men said Life is a accumulation of bricks of experience , as you place it orderly strengthen with cement the wall becomes strong . Belaku is nothing but a collection of experiences inorder to filter and purify your inner thoughts to make u a equpped as a better person for the outside world .

I was greeted by a smiling face of the care taker/helper Nagarathna. I introduced myself and expressed my intentions to spend sometime withe the kids . As it was a day of my daughter who had turned one i had also taken her so that she doesn't do the same mistake as i did in my childhood.I wanted her to learn that giving is as good a experience than receiving.
As we went in to our surprise though being a weekday we could find all the kids watching a Dr.Rajkumar movie " Vasantha Geeta". As we greeted each other and sat with them i knew that i was disturbing thier movie time . Nagarathna volunteered to switch off the movie but we said no. i am sure our kids would not switch of the television even if some guest was there .
As they saw Tejal they had a glow , they all took her and started to play with her .They gave her a toy to play and she was all in smiles . As we went around the place we were amazed to see the neatness particularly the kitchen . Sometimes i wonder if all our kitchens can be so neat .

Mohan who has spearheading this organisation from the past 9years then met us returning from a late bath . He also spearheads a Vridhhashrama - a Home for the aged in JP nagar .A True person with service in mind . We spent some time knowing him and his inspiration behind belaku. We had taken some sweets and some materials for the kids which we gave him and then spent the rest one hour with children .Some happened to be orphans and some had only mother's.
Most of the kids were well behaved and nurtured with care. They were alll put into different schools . Some of them are studying Std V, VI, only one was in I Std . If i remember lakshmi. As we were talking to them there was a circle formed around Tejal making her to play with them .She was enjoying thoroughly and so were they . After spending a hour when we got up to return back i told in my mind that this should not be a yearly affair. We need to come here and experience belaku and spread across the love and affection . These children need that. As the lunch time and thier sleep time was nearing we rose to leave .

I promised nagarthna and Mohan that i would visit them regularly .As i carried Tejal back from them i could see the resistance of her not willing to leave them then i heard a voice from manjunath saying "Ram Ram". I knew these was said when one leaves the home . I also said "ram ram" and as i walked back thanking mohan and the kids i wondered how many in our houses even do namaste when somebody comes in to the house .The values constitute so much in our lives . As i boarded my car i could see the a glow , a belaku in our hearts and mind . It gave us satisfaction and contentment in us .
Incase somebody happens to read my blog at any point i would recommend people to visit
Belaku Shishu nivasa
opp to BMsri hall ,
NR Colony .
and spread across the love and affection thur kind or cash.

Belagali belaku namma nimma matu elara jeevanadalli!!!!