Sometimes I wonder, does any one require lots of money to enjoy and be happy. Can one smile genuinely and get excited to show his/her best even if he/she does not have enough food on any day. Can he/she still celebrate Diwali not worse than any body else in the world? If these questions were asked to me before I had celebrated Diwali with the children at Ettimadai village, probably my reply would have been ‘No’. But today the reply will be in the form of a question, ‘can anyone else celebrate diwali in better way than they do?’
I am talking about the Diwali celebration at Ettimadai, a village near to our college ASB. We (some of our friends and also some engineering students) go to the village for the ‘Outreach’ program, a unique program to teach the children. Once Shobhana Maam told that, these children require love and some happy moments even more than formal teaching and I found it’s very true.
It was 23rd of October and we all (MBA students and Engineering students) gathered in the village at around 9 in the morning. All the children were then taken to the nearby Amrita school, while going we could feel the excitement and enthusiasm among them. I can assure you that most of them might not have taken any breakfast and even I am not sure how many of them would have taken dinner at night. But not a glimpse of these could be seen on their faces. After we reached, we started our day with Prayer. I should also mention that there was enough number of students present to encourage the children. Prem, a senior student of ASB was also present.
After the prayer, snacks were distributed among children as breakfast. In the mean time Balloons were prepared for the children. Also, some students were preparing Tracks for the various running competitions of children. Children were playing here and there among themselves, but always they wanted us to also join them. I can tell you, these children were enjoying too much since we were also playing and enjoying with them. Anyway, running competition started with heats. Two rounds of heats and then final. First it was for boys. Here, I want to mention one incident. Surendra babu, one among the children was participating in the second heat. As the race started, everybody was applauding them; I was also applauding. This boy was simply running at me and was running as if he was running to reach me. He did not even bother about the race; he simply ran and finally jumped on me. When he was running there was a smile on his face and he seemed to be so happy as I was encouraging him. I cannot express in words what I felt when he had jumped on me. For one moment, I felt extremely happy and felt like crying, I do not know why!
After the boys’ heats were over, girls’ heats were done, initially only finals were supposed to be held, but seeing their enthusiasm, two heats were conducted. Apart from, running, sack race and spoon race were also conducted. No one felt if he/she was lost. Everybody was enjoying.
After these games are apart, food was distributed. Among faculties, apart from Shobhana Maam and Deepak Sir, Janci mam and Radhamani mam, were also present. Everyone was taking part in everything and enjoying with children. Children liked Deepak Sir’s camera and so he was the busiest in fulfilling their demands.
Children, though, were very hungry and extremely delighted to see the food, but no one created any problem, they washed hands properly, seated quietly and ate with full satisfaction. One should have seen them closely while eating, they were so much into eating and nobody wasted a little food. I think any food earns maximum respect from these people. People serving food to them also feel satisfied as they respect them as well by not wasting food.
After food it was time to have some fun. In one class room we had lots of balloons and threw those to the children, and the way they were playing, I never felt they would need any other item to play and enjoy. We were also involved in that, and honestly were enjoying, even the heaviest guy, Pradeep also was playing just like a child.
Then a beautiful film made with these children by Imbarajan, an alumnus from ASE, was shown. Children were so excited by seeing their photos on screen and were carried away by the music played. After the film the children were asked to dance on different music. I was so surprised to see their innovative steps. They were trying to imitate dance steps performed actually. Everybody was trying to show their best and others were encouraging them, some children were also feeling little shy to perform. There was no showing off, but a sincere attempt to perform better. Though they were not perfect or much synchronized, but, I felt everything they were doing was so natural, that any one would appreciate their effort. The children were mesmerized when Vidya (one of ASB second year students) sang couple of songs for them. There was prize distribution after that. Then each of the children was given some crackers to burst. We basically blasted some crackers and children were so excited to see the different types of crackers. By that it was afternoon, so, the celebration was over and the children were taken back to their houses and they all returned with joy and some good moments, probably these would fade very soon as they would start their normal life again.
The celebration might look very usual to many. But I personally felt that the smiling faces on the innocent faces that we could generate gave me a different satisfaction which I did never get in my life. After I had celebrated Diwali with them, I realized that, anyone can find real happiness if he/she can make them smile and that smile will be enough to make him/her happy like he/she has never been. They don’t want any material to smile, they are not hungry for food, it’s has been their habit to be hungry, what they demand is a little love, a love which is natural, which comes directly from heart, which never differentiates among any human being and I strongly believe they can identify that and respect that the most on this universe.
I do not know, how much I love these people, but I have no doubt to say that, next time also I would celebrate Diwali with them, may be then after and may be always…..
Bikash Shil
MBA 2007 batch
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