Yesterday I happen to visit the orphanage of Mother Teresa. There were babies from 1day old to 5 years. I happen to be one of those people who like doing voluntary service once in a while purely for selfish reasons; I go to spend some time with the most innocent Angels of God, to do speed post delivery of all my prayers through their sweet voice. Otherwise when I don’t have any demands from my Maker, I go for some satisfaction that I am doing some good to some of the best people on earth: the little babies of these homes.
I noticed a new born this time who was too striking. She was this little baby girl who was just 5 days old, so beautiful was she that I wondered how a mother could abandon such a tiny little wrap. It was then that one of my nun friends told me that some unwed mothers happen to go to abortion centers and some few doctors who have some conscience left in them suggest the children’s home of Mother Teresa or such centers where they could come and stay till they gave birth and then give up all rights on the child by agreeing for adoption. These women happen to be just caught in unfortunate circumstances. I saw one such mother feeding the baby, and on enquiry came to know that she was going to stay till the baby is 3 months old, so that she could give her breast milk and then leave the baby with the nuns for adoption. These women who stay back happen to work with these nuns all over India after giving up their child in cases where they can’t return home.
There was something else that everyone should know and that is that foreigners adopt kids who were born with birth defects since Indians wouldn’t take them. One such child is Priston who is being adopted by an Italian family. He is due to leave in March. Priston is 5 years old and has gone through a by pass surgery already at his young age and happen to have 6 fingers on his hands and feet. This little boy happens to hold the heart of many even though he has a weak heart. He sings movie songs with such childish perfection that it’s difficult not to fall in love with him. Every Sunday morning he attends Church and during the singing he lifts both his hands up and prays to God. During prayers he lifts his hands up and looks up into the skies and sings with such sincerity that it renders anyone with awe at his complete faith.
Almost all the kids from here get adopted except the ones who have retardation, and such is another girl named Lily who is 10 years old. Now days not many babies are handed over to the Children’s Home of Mother Teresa. There are a lot of people who happen to exchange the babies when they are in the hospitals before notifying the concerned authorities. And when the concerned CWC (Child Welfare & Care ) , the CSW ( Community Social worker ) representatives send these kids according to the need of the child to different institutions, it so happens that during these exchanges there are a lot of malpractices conducted too. Some of these new borns exchanged illegally are sold off to owners of extreme sports and betting , where they use the babies in the most inhuman way for some twisted sense of adventure and thrill. During the earlier days, before the advent of technology, the cruelest way was practiced in Rajasthan where these new born are tied to the legs of the camels during the race to make the camels run faster because of the cries of the baby.
Giving babies up for legal adoption ensures their safety and also preserves their history , as many of these kids who were adopted into foreign homes come back to the orphanages to meet the nuns and know where they have come from. The confidentiality clause does not allow for disclosure of sensitive information, yet something is better than nothing for these kids who want to know their roots.
In order to legally adopt a newborn baby of few days old, the parents should be below 45 years old with an ownership of a home and a stable job. Every institution has their rules and regulations but in general all these places have these basic requirements. An amount of Rs.25 thousand is deposited in the name of the Child and the institution from which the baby is adopted as is the policy of Mother Teresa’s children’s homes. Single parents can also adopt but they are not given preference in mother Teresa’s Orphanages. In case the parents are above 50 years old a child of 5 years and above is the only option given, since a psychological bond is difficult to form for a baby to parents who are older than 50 years normally due to the age gap.
Anyways the same day I encountered a different experience of a lifetime relating to a kid whom I happen to chance upon. In the evening I was walking on marine drive and this child approaches me with this toy, which illuminates when swung like ping-pong. I talked to this boy of 8 or 9 years old, he told me that he was from Bihar and he came here for his holidays with his parents to sell things and make money.
On further enquiry he told me his uncle is there with him now, and he went to school too. I had my doubts about his explanations, but then his uncle who was hardly 20 years old came down, He then told me that the toy costs Rs.10, upon which I told him I didn’t bring any cash with me since I was here just for a walk. The boy simply gave the toy to me and told me it was a gift from him, initially I thought he was trying to be smart and then I realized he actually meant it , on my refusal to take it, he just left. I called after him for his name and he shouted “ AZAD”.
I was still not convinced and went near him and returned the toy upon which he said these words “ keep it, I am giving it out of happiness and I would be offended if you return my gift” ,I couldn’t say anything more, I just smiled at him and Azad the 9 year old left smiling. I went back to my car to retrieve some money then, but I couldn’t find him, that’s when I realized he had actually gifted the toy to me and didn’t expect me to reward him at all. Like his name he was free and was among those kids who liked their freedom more than anything. I resolved to give the toy to Priston.: A gift from a free orphan to one who wanted to be secured with care and a name.
It made me wonder about the ironies of life.
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