A Question of a Million Dollar Worth….

Subbby

Quite often doing foolish and anserine stuffs did drab happiness into me. Buying Gi-Joes, He-Mans, Skeletons, Barbie dolls, and Hotwheels car gave me a new domain of happiness. Perhaps, not for the fact that I would get to imbibe and toy with it and help myself cherish my bright childhood days. This definitely had a Machiavelli or rather a subtle game plan surrounding it. Confused?????????

I always enjoy watching others smiling and believe in keeping others happy. A part of my monthly salary, I used to feed my piggy bank and this monthly salary precisely went nowhere but in buying those toys for the children at the orphanage.

At times, whenever I plan a stay at my native place I make it a point to visit a nearby orphanage. Every visit there and spending time with the kids would kindle so much of energy onto me. There were times I have even learnt how to live life, from them. This orphanage and the kids there where capable of injecting something nuance or rather subtle enough to impart more vibes of happiness into you. For a few moments, forget the kids, the place where they dwell-the orphanage, would entice any level of mental peace into you. “Discipline” shall equate its actual definition here. Every sound, every whisper that hits the borders of your ears is so full wet with happiness, thanks to those smilingly chirpy kids that move around. Sadness is the only fearful clause that stays abstemious from entering the topography of this place. And as for the kids, their smile is the only euphemism that enshrouds their sorrow of who they belong to? I always wondered, there has to be some source or for that matter a reason behind these kids being so cheerful and thriving in with so much of blithe, wherein even divine intervention wasn’t allowed. I mean, even the divine gods couldn’t obfuscate the flow of the happiness charging ions.

This time too, whilst spending a vacation at my native place, I made it a point to orbit the orphanage. Little did I realize, this visit shall shock every inch of my spine. As usual, my airbag full of toys I landed up there. No sooner did I set my foot inside, than I had these loads of kids hustling towards me. A few of these tiny toads climb one above the other, One on each shoulder of mine, one on my hip one sitting right on top of my head. At times these kids, out of happiness, not knowing where and what to hold have ripped of my pant zip too. All they needed was my presence. And as far as seeing these kids happy, I never would mind such tiny episodes (MANHANDLE OF MY ZIP) ;-). I always ensure I spend a full day with the kids there and never make it a point to miss taking to Nithya.

A girl there, who grew up at the orphanage. After having distributed the gifts I sat for my laconic discussion with her. As usual, she had tonnes and tonnes of things to share with me. She asked, “Subbby Anna, tell me one thing, answer me from ur heart…what’s one thing that loves u?” I replied, “Parental Love”. She jumps to the next, “what’s one thing that you love anna?” My power to rhetoric saw me sayin, “I love being loved”. There she had even a much powerful answer to my replies. “you know wat anna, we enjoy not even one out of the two you said, but out of all the humans created by God, we orphans are the happiest beasts in the world. There isn’t any lance that draws up a curve based on caste. We love each other the most. Of course we don’t get to enjoy what the others outside this place do, but our level of happiness can never languish by time. And your coming here, gifts us with more resplendence in our smiles, anna”. She continues, “for all the kids around the globe, Santa Claus comes only once a yr, but for the living creatures here inside this orphanage, we see only one Santa Claus coming and it’s when you drop in, anna. You just fill in with so much of charm and love.” Trust me, I felt very light…but….. She takes up more and says, “World is so filled with beautiful ppl anna. Ppl love animals and love to grow one at their houses too. Some like dogs and some cats. They term them as ‘PETS’. But why doesn’t anyone find a reason to adopt us too??? As ‘PET HUMANS’. Aren’t we a better investment than animals, anna. Why does anyone leave us midway? What fault did we pursue when we were born, anna?” I felt trammeled. My mouth shut and had only tears reaching up to my eyelids. She further says, “Subbby anna, will u forget us once you go to States or rather even worse, when you get married and get kids?” Looking at Nithya and the other kids there, I just had nothing to speak except for a blatant truth, which only had the courage to keep echoing within the chambers of my heart, “How I wish I could let her know that, even I shared the same cradle as they did.”

Certain things in life have their own values. Perhaps, what we enjoy isn’t enjoyed by many. These questions posed by Nithya were so poignant, I yet search for answers for of those enigmatic interrogatives…