PA’S PRINCESS

(Each one of us, has a special person in our lives that we hail as a father-figure. He can literally be our Dad, or an older brother or an uncle or a friend or just about anybody who has made us what we are today. A person, who has not only supported us throughout our life, but taught us it’s important lessons, gave us all the time in the world and never complained. Someone, who has loved has unconditionally, truly, with so much affection that it can never be measured. Some relationships go beyond the extent of words in their meaning and so beautifully become our very reason for living.

This poem, is dedicated, to that person in my life, who has made me what I am today….who has loved me as his own daughter, as his own kid, as his own life…..To my darling Mamoo….my Pa….)

I live in a dreamy fairytale

In a distant fantasy land

And feel the purest of pure love

Where all sorrow, is banned

He holds my hand

& guides me forward

And not for a moment

does he let me stray

He corrects my stumbles

& soothes my bruises

And stands by me day by day

Although he never taught me

how to walk

Yet he could hear the sound of my feet

And even from that great distance

He knew, one day, we would meet

He smiles softly at my chattering

And never for once, gets bored

He puts with my silly tantrums

Oh, he has always been the person I adored

Although he never heard my baby gibberish

or even my first word

But in that land far away

My life, he anchored.

He puts that sound in my laughter

He lights my face with a smile

He covers me with a blanket of happiness

And brightens me up in a while

Although he hasn’t always been a part of my joy

or a witness to all my mirth

But even in that physical distance

We got connected at birth

He wipes my tears with an instant ease

He drives my sorrow away

No worry, no tensions can touch me at all

He protects me night & day

Although he can’t shield me from all misfortune

Or see my tearful face

Far away, in his heart, he knows

All sadness in my life, can he erase

So, this person that I truly miss

who always listens to my blah blah

An image of a big hug & sweet sweet kiss

Is my darling Pa

He taught me whats right & wrong

And still teaches me  the lessons of life

How never to lose my self-respect

How to be cheerful & rife

His gifts are not material

They are the stepping stones of success

How to practice self-control

And live life with finesse

His lessons are inspiring

He taught me how a young woman should be

And though sometimes I missed the point

He explained that ‘patience’ is the key

He always made me realize

that helping people is fun

Never to think ill of others

And never from problems, to run

He made me face my fears

And stood strongly by my side

Yet he let me learn my own lessons too

And saw that I surely tried

I listen in wonder to his achievements

I am proud of all that he did

He has always been my hero

And I, that awe-struck kid

You might have such a person in your life

It may be your Dad or some other

A favorite sweet uncle or an older brother

A father figure that makes your life

And fills it with love & care

A man who carries you forward

And drives away all despair

I love you Pa for what you are

I am your number one fan

I always want to be your little kid

You are my superman

And I want to live in your great big arms

Where I know I’ll be safe forever

I’ll be showered by all sweet things in life

And feel lonely, never

Not all people become parents

Just because they have given birth

Pure affection has no boundaries

Some people are more precious than their worth

A solemn circle, this love

Connects people in mysterious ways

And forms lifetime relationships

Sprinkled with never-ending joyous days

So, I thank you for what you are for me

You are my beating heart

And even being on the opposite sides of the world

We could never be apart

I cannot touch but I can feel you

I can hear your comforting voice

I would run up to you and give you a hug

If  only I had the choice

One day, when you’ll be frail & old

I will take care of you as mine

I’ll sit by your bedside & love you so

And tell you all his fine

Then, I’ll be there for you

as you have always been

A friend, philosopher & guide all the way

Though you remained unseen

Hey Pa, stay with me forever

We have lost too many years, so to say

And though we can’t bring them back

Now, you cannot go away

Although you never witnessed my milestones

Or  figured in my childhood

Now you are a part of me

And this is just as good

So, I look at you & proudly say-

I am Pa’s princess & his girl

Who will grow up to be his constant support

And his shining pearl…..

HEROES ARE PEOPLE TOO

(Michael Jackson’s death on June 25th, 2009 came as a shock to people all over the world. Never had I thought, that the person whose tunes I grew up on, can die someday, so suddenly, so unexpectedly. I thought him as timeless, as eternal, as interminable….. So did his millions of fans all over the world.

His death, makes us think…..that in reality, death is not partial even to one so famous. All people those we worship in life, be them ordinary ones or even great celebrities, all; all of them are mere mortals. And one day, like us, they will die too.

Yet what will be different about their death is that, they will still continue to live; in our hearts, in our soul, in their talents, their work and in all those people whose lives they have touched.

And this will inspire us that we can be like them too…..

To, Michael Jackson, a person who was our idol, our hero; I dedicate this poem, straight from the heart……….)

We look up to them & are in awe

For they are something different & nice

We love them with all our heart & soul

And follow their all advice

Yet sometimes we are confused

as to what is false & what is really true

How easily do we forget that-

Heroes are people too!

Their successes are our own

Their wins fill us with joy

They are revered as they are

Whether aggressive, sweet or coy

Their downfall is a wound

That never heals in us

Their failures a bad dream

That makes us badly cuss

Its as if our life is attached

To their very existence

No reason justifies our love for them

Be it logic or great distance

Yet sometimes we hate them

Why; we don’t have a clue

How easily do we forget that-

Heroes are people too!

For us, they are an open book

We expect they have nothing to hide

For us, we want them to move ahead

Leaving their personal life aside

When they give us happiness

We lift them up & worship them so

And their mistakes give us sorrow

Its like being struck by a blow

We pry in to what they are

We discuss their all affairs

But we still love their mannerisms

Those high-fi graces and airs

Yet sometimes, they seem so plastic

Like some entity new

How easily do we forget that-

Heroes are people too!

Their illnesses is a cause of concern

They begin residing in our prayer

One so talented should have a long life

Eternal should be the person so rare

And when they die, their death is a shock

Ordinary, what their life seems

For we thought them to be invincible

The rulers of our dreams

But they are mere mortals

Who live like us & die

But between their life & death

Give such a good try

That their ordinary life

Is much more than what ours is

Talents they learn to put to use

Thats what makes them a whiz

And so even when death takes them away

They still live within our heart

They house a particular corner in our mind

And never do they depart

So what they inspire us to do is that

We can be immortal too

They live their life with just a little difference

Otherwise, Heroes are people too!

A KIND OF SELF-LOVE

( Sometimes, I guess, the love that we hold in our heart for ourselves encompasses all boundaries. It is really difficult to truly love someone unless we love ourselves completely. A self-love that teaches us to trust and to hope, of affection and care; teaches us all about joys and sorrows, about life and death and finally guides us to the final journey keeping the soul as our care-taker so that all that we know in end is a calm and tranquil peace! )

Do we need someone to love us so?

And share with us many a woe

Or we ourselves are the best solution?

Or a kind of retribution?

Our ears are our own

& will listen to everything

Echos of happiness

& sorrow they’ll bring

Our eyes will watch,

the life in stages

A beauty of  love,

that continues through ages

Our nose will smell,

the lover’s fragrance

Of  a certain time-

of lost remembrance

Our lips speak of a voice,

of better commitment

And a smile rests on them,

of some accomplishment

Our hands reach out,

to all the pain

Not letting the sacrifices,

to go in vain

Our feet tread,

new destinations

For a moment of solitude,

in long vacations

Our skin keeps feeling,

a mysterious touch

A deep affection,

without any boundaries as such

And lastly, a heart each of us does hold

That is filled with memories so ancient & old

That it continues to beat till the very end

And with the universe does it blend

Finally, we grieve and are left all alone,

To begin a journey of the unknown

What remains with us-

is this immortal soul

That even in incompleteness;

makes the life so whole….

A MAN CALLED FATHER

Call him FATHER or DAD or DADDY or PA or POPS or your OLD MAN… But never call him a DEVIL!!!

Recently, I read a Marathi essay on the topic “Father”… It brought tears to my eyes. I had never read something so beautiful yet so obvious before. The essay is what inspired this post.

We have always heard of “mother” being the most influential character in a person’s life but rarely do we attach an emotional importance with a father.

How often do we forget that our father is just as important in our life as our mother?

We come across countless quotes, poems, articles, odes, tributes, written for a mother. But when it comes to writing something for a father, the words always fall a little short.

While we do celebrate “Father’s day” with a lot of enthusiasm, we always envision a father being  a persona of support and strength. We never envision him as a deity of love as we do for a mother.

For us, our father is a machine. He is one who pays for our pocket-money, our schooling, for our clothes, trips, entertainment and anything else we have taken fancy of.  He is the one who never falls ill, instead pays for our medicines and hospital bills if something happens to us.

He provides for us, works himself to death so that we live a comfortable life; yet we think he does not have the right to get angry when we come home late at night.

When we are kids, most of us (if not all), have great respect for our fathers. As we grow older and the moment we step into our teenage years, our father suddenly changes into a monster who does not have any right to pry into our private life.

Either that, or we make fun of him. We get embarrassed to call him our Dad in front of our friends. In our teenage years, for us, he suddenly becomes an old man, a cartoon; instead of the superman we imagined him to be when we were kids.

We hardly ever understand what kind of a man he his. Beside being our Dad, we associate no personality with him. We forget even he has a personal life. Even he was a kid at some point of his life, even he was a teenager, even he was wild and un-ruly.

We begin seeing a father as a cruel, Hitler-type individual who curbs our freedom and burdens us with tons of rules, if we do something which he does not like.

What we fail to see is, the hurt in his eyes to see us going over the wrong way. What we fail to understand is, he considers our wrong-doings as his own personal failures. He may act strict. But deep down, his heart contains a love that is so vast, that it becomes inexpressible.

And we still fail to see him as a human-being, because the tears that he sheds are enclosed in his heart, the sorrow that he experiences is never allowed to reach towards you, the hurt that troubles him, he keeps it to himself.

A mother can cry her heart out and you know how much she loves you. But, a father has too keep his disappointments bottled up because he knows, he represents the strength of a house. And you……you just never know, of what stuff, this man is made up of……

How many of us, remember the father’s day or our father’s birthday or any other important day of his life???

How many of us bring him gifts because we really “feel” for him and not because its a tradition???

How many of us even try to do something for him just for the sake of it and not because we have to ask some favor from him???

We easily understand the importance of a mother. For us, she is an epitome of pure love, immense care and the most understanding person in our life. We think, that the presence of a father in our life is indispensable; so we take him for granted.

But, in reality, we hardly ever understand his importance unless he goes away from us.

A person who has lost his/her father, really knows, what value this man had in our lives.

Simply because, it has always been the basic human tendency of appreciating the rare and ignoring the obvious.

A father is such an obvious element in our lives, that his sacrifices, his grief, his troubles, usually go unnoticed.

Most of times, we think, that what our father does for us, is his job, his duty, so there isn’t anything great about it. But, if  someone puts us in our father’s shoes and let us handle a wild and unruly kid like us, we will know, with what tremendous patience and grace, this man handled us. And he never asked for anything in return.

He will never ask for respect, or love, or care, or obedience. His feelings for us will be unconditional.

He will just ask for a little trust, a little trust in what he is doing for us; so that one day we ourselves turn into good responsible parents.

And he will be proud of us anyways. Each of us won’t become a big scientist, or a great artist, or an excellent singer. But, how much ever, ordinary we are, we will always be extra-ordinary in his life.

Even the smallest of our achievements is like a dream come true for him. An ‘B+’ grade, a 2 minute part in the school play, the first time you tried your hand at cooking by baking a burnt cake, the consolation prize in the local singing contest;……..for a father, this is what his life is made of….. memories of his kid’s happiness.

A father is an epitome of patience.

He patiently waits for the day, when his kids will acknowledge his presence in their lives.

Yet he expects nothing.

He is as unconditional as ever, even if we love him back or not!

“A father is always making his baby into a little woman. And when she is a woman, he turns her back again.”  -Enid Bagnold

For a girl, her father is usually her hero. He is someone she can look up to. She loves to be a “Daddy’s little girl” forever. She envisions him as her protector, someone who will shield her from all misfortunes and hardships. She knows the special bond that they share. She sees her father’s un-shed tears and hidden sorrows.

She looks up to her father and longs to find a life-partner who will be similar to her Dad, so that she knows, her kids get a good father.

For a father, his daughter is not only his precious little baby but also the pride of his life. She is someone, whom he knows, will never distance him from her life. She is someone who will trust him blindly. He appreciates the love she has for him, because he knows she can be his daughter as well as his son, when he wants so.

Her unquestionable faith in him gives him the strength to be a good father that he is.

Let us appreciate our father for what he has been to us.

For how much ever he opposes us or disapproves of our doings, he does so only because he truly loves us. Only because, he never wants us to go wrong but learn our lessons with dignity and be a responsible citizen of this world.

“A truly rich man is the one whose children run into his arms when his hands are empty.”

I HAVE / HAD A DREAM

All those who listen to Westlife might know of their popular song, “I have a dream….”

Sometimes I wonder whether life is really as positive and as colorful as described in the song. Do our beliefs really have the potential to conquer any damn thing in this world? Is life really as easy as this….that we get anything that we wish for….that all are dreams are born to be fulfilled….that all desires that originate in our hearts set to reach their destination…

I used to think, all dreams get fulfilled. But its not so. Some remain buried in the heart forever….not to be forgotten but to remind us that at some point of the time when we had the control of our life, we never took it. We let ourselves to be carried away with the flow and now we look back and regret that life is not what we wanted it to be!!!

What remains back are shadows of the past that keep on haunting…

If you have the strength to fight back, perhaps its never too late. Now may be the time to get up and set things right. What never manifested when there was a time for it, perhaps can return on different time-lines. There was afterall, never a WRONG time to do the RIGHT thing!

It’s how we feel within ourselves—-

I HAVE a dream   OR

I HAD a dream

A REASON FOR A SEASON

There are people,

who just walk away.

Leaving behind a single hope,

that they may come back.

To renew a forgotten relationship.

To rebuild a lost trust.

To re-enact every moment shared.

To recall every thing cared.

Times when they wiped

your every tear.

Times when they banished

your every fear.

Destiny might not re-acquaint us to them.

Fate might not bring them back.

But they have left footprints in your heart,

which will never fade…

They are making their presence felt,

through every CHANGE they brought in you.

People- who disappear suddenly

And your life NEVER remains the same…

Just let them go.

Your prayer has been answered.

There are many more races to run.

Your need has been met.

Your desire fulfilled.

And there might be others waiting to come.

Some people who come in life,

FOR a particular REASON

They love you, help you & care for you;

But last,

Only for a SEASON!!!

TURNING NEGATIVES INTO POSITIVES

A joke used to do round in my maths class when I was in school. It was so that a boy comes late to school and asks the teacher whether he could enter the class. The teacher says, “NO.” The boy asks again and gets the same answer. However, on hearing the second NO, he quietly enters the class and takes his seat. The teacher is enraged and questions the boy that I didn’t allow you to enter, yet you disobeyed me. Why? The boy replies serenely, “Well, you said NO twice and we have been taught in maths, that two negatives make one positive!”

 

I used to laugh over the silliness of the boy and also admire his smartness. Now, when I actually have heard the joke over and over again, I realize that its not a joke. It is infact one of the most important lessons of life.

Everyone takes their life so negatively. We dissect and analyze the dark side so much that we forget the beauty of the other side. Not only do we do not look beyond the obvious but also dampen the hopes of all those who try to be different. We label others as “over-optimistic” and cover our negativity in the guise of “reality-practical thinking”.

 

When we fail, we become sure that it was always meant to be so. We accept it on our own terms. We firmly believe that we are the unlucky ones. We blame the destiny. We blame the society. We just about blame everything that is around us. We take other people’s experiences as our own and don’t understand that two people can look exactly at the same thing yet see something totally different. We take up age-old notions and degrade them further, turn them as negative as we can.  

 

Have we ever thought of working on these negatives? Have we ever believed that, every cloud has a silver lining? Have we ever converted our negatives into positives?

 

We take our weaknesses as our second nature. Instead of working on them, we excuse them as our basic attributes and believe that those can never change. We take our failures as an unlucky fate and cry and sulk and make ourselves miserable. We think we are the unluckiest person in the world and all bad things apparently to us.

 

Have we ever tried to use our strengths to overcome our weaknesses? Have we ever rationalized a particular situation in such a way that we allow us to observe the good side of things?

 

There is positive in everything you see. In 9th grade, our classroom wall had a frame hung on it. There was a single line written on it, “There’s never a WRONG time to do the RIGHT thing.” The quote still uplifts me, when I have to do a difficult thing. I realize the value of it. Realize the positive energy flowing through it.

All the positives in your life, however minuscule they may be, they have the infinite power to convert the entire negativity into a desirable force.

My life has been going haywire for a past few weeks. But, I am hanging on. I have suddenly understood that all the delicate situations that I have been facing so far have been a mixture of both sorrow and joy. Now, when I retrospect, I realize my joy at that time had the surprising potential of being highly negative and all my sorrows, if dissected well, held a tremendous amount of positivity.

If I learnt so much from everyday experiences, so can you! 

 

Always remember, situations may be bad, but we have something in us that can turn things our way. And that is the power of extracting the hidden positivity in any thing. Nothing in this world is 100% good or 100% bad.

There’s a little angel in every demon and a little demon in every angel…. 

LESSONS FROM THE GAME

More than a month back, this picture was different. The Australians were jumping with joy. India had lost the test series. It was a big blow. It’s very difficult to accept things when you clearly know that you have been treated unfairly and you had to win. Thats what happened. Disappointment was clearly written on faces of the Indian players.

But they kept quiet. They tried to bury all the past grudges and began new. A new series. A new beginning.

 

The Commonwealth bank series was one of the longest cricketing series of all times consisting of just 3 teams, yet a total of 14 games were played. It lasted a little over one month. And every new match was as exciting as its previous one.

In a crucial game against Sri Lanka, India won very convincingly and that paved their way into the final.  

And thus, the battle began……. 

 

Australian media continued to put Indians in a bad light. Harbhajan was needlessly targeted. Then it was Ishant Sharma’s turn. When the Aussies began understanding that sledging on the field is no longer worrying the Indians but instead aggravating them, they began to pass comments and print baseless stories in the newspapers.

India, howeverr did not falter. It got support from all over the world. And kept playing the game in the true spirit.

 

Finally, after 23 years, India won in Australia, captured the tri-series cup…..

Each young team member gave his best. Ishant Sharma and Praveen Kumar showed their talent as dependable fast bowlers. Irrfan Pathan didn’t let the team down when needed. Gautam Gambhir batted like a true star. Harbhajan, unruffled, did what he was meant to (taking wickets of Symonds and Hayden )! Rohit Sharma showed tremendous promise as an upcoming batsman. Every youngie showcased his mettle. AND Dhoni, whatever weird decisions he might have taken earlier, proved  that INDIANS ARE THE BEST!

To win against a side which is the world’s best, not only in the game but also in sledging, is not an easy job. What the Indians endured in last 2 and the half months, was not less than “sport-racism”. Now, this mental ordeal of going through wrong umpiring decisions, baseless media accusations and constant on-field bickering has finally come to an end.

And, Indians have emerged victorious!!!

 

We all can learn a lot from this entire “India tour of Australia”. You need not understand the rules of the game.You just need to focus on basic facts.

Lessons to learn:

 

Lesson that HARBHAJAN taught….

“Life is unfair. You’ll be let down many times by it. No one will listen to you. You’ll be targeted again and again. People will call you names and your every action will be scrutinized. BUT, never forget, your capabilities can help you to overcome any difficulties. No matter what, always stand by your ground. Never bow down. If you know, you haven’t done anything wrong, stick to it.”

 

Lesson that ISHANT taught….

“Over-smart people always dominate. They will not respect you if your young. They will underestimate your talents. They will abuse you and try and put you down. BUT, remember, age has got nothing to do with talent. Be fearless. And at the same time, don’t let the success go into your head.”

 

Lesson that DHONI taught….

“Strong people will push the weak ones down. When you lead, there will be tremendous pressure to do better. With responsibilty comes hardships. Critics will be in plenty than well-wishers. BUT, never forget, fortune favors the brave. Never be ashamed to accept your mistakes. Apologise whenever necessary. Take risks. Without risk, there is no chance of any success. As a leader, support those under your command. Let them do something for you not out of fear but love.”

 

Lesson that SACHIN taught….

“A seasoned and experienced person knows that barking dogs seldom bite. Actions speak more than words. So let others speak. You know what to do. Be humble. Respect others (even someone who humiliates you). Respect yourself too. Understand you are not a machine. Failures are a part and parcel of life. They are also a stepping stone to achievements. Losses will come. Your only job is to give your 100%. Once you know, you have given your best, stay rest assured, you’ll get the fruits of your labour.” 

 

AND, in the end

Lesson that from AUSSIES we learnt….

“It’s very easy to look down from the top and make fun of the ones on the ground. Its equally difficult to help the less-fortunate ones to come up. Aggression is required in some walks of life. But, don’t let it become a habit. Humitlity is the greatest virtue. Cultivate it within one self. Always keep on striving to do better. Help the weak ones and share your expertise. Never inflate your head with the glorious past. Otherwise one day you’ll learn very badly that PRIDE always has a DOWNFALL!”

 

 Was it just CRICKET, OR Was it a game of LIFE???

SPECIAL IS AS SPECIAL DOES

(courtesy: http://www.chester-le-streetrotary.co.uk/hughesbk-1.jpg)

I was born OK.

I could see. I could hear. I could talk. I had no physical handicap. No mental one too. I went to school. I could even read and write well. No learning problems either.

So, I was NOT special. Not special as the many many children we know. Some who are blind, some dumb and/or deaf. Some physically handicapped. Some mentally retarded. Some otherwise normal but having serious learning disabilities.

How do we feel for such children? Sympathy is common and so is pity. We look at them and thank God that we aren’t like that. Our children aren’t so and also anyone else in the family. We are ready to help financially. We become self-proclaimed social workers. We give huge donations, in form of money, clothes, books, toys etc..

I am not saying that it is not important. But, truly, just how many of us “empathize” ? How many of us actually feel their pain, their discomfort, their helplessness, their sorrow…..? How many of us actually give them our love, care and most important, our time! The very things they are actually hungry of!

Material things are very easy to give, because they don’t come with emotional attachments. But, hope, affection, trust are the rarest ones. We ourselves are so short of it that we think if we give them away, we will be left with nothing. What we don’t realize is that, these sentiments double on sharing. That love has absolutely no boundaries. That we can care for anyone else in this world. That blood ties are no different from any other relationships…

How many of us think of helping such people? How many of us actually volunteer to do something for the society. Children are the future of every country. What matters if they are normal or not? AND what exactly do we mean by “normal”? Does normal mean, kids who disobey their parents, don’t study and become big bullies. Does normal mean, teenagers who drink, smoke, drive rashly and party all night?

If you have visited such special schools or institutions, you will realize the tremendous potential these kids have. They may not be scholars in studies, but their mind is brilliant and sharp. They are good at making handicrafts and also at beautiful arts such as weaving, painting, pottery etc.. Some sing and dance well. Some are really intelligent and master their handicap to excel even in the field of education. They have a tremendous self-confidence. They have the courage to overcome their difficulties and move ahead positively. AND, what about us? Do we have the decency to ignore their physical form and identify them as people? Not to ridicule them or make fun of them, but give them the respect that they deserve just like us….

Have we ever done something for them from the bottom of our hearts? Volunteered to teach them or help them with things. Don’t be ashamed. Even I am one of you. I make big plans of helping them and doing something for them. I know I have the utmost desire to do so. But those plans never actually materialize. But, some day, they will. I know, before I die, I will do something that will really contribute to their upliftment. It’s my mission in life.

Can you vow to take such a mission? Or at least plan a short-term goal? To look beyond mortal differences and do something on a very basic yet spiritual/ social level?

There are thousands of NGOs working for this cause. You can find a couple in your own town. Even the UN has a volunteering website, where you can volunteer online and complete some tasks. At least it will better than whiling your time away chatting with friends or doing time-pass. It will be worth it.

All of us are normal. Ordinary. But, there is something in us that is extraordinary. And, we can make a difference. Perhaps, a slight one, but that which will be the beginning of an ever-lasting change!!!

(I dedicate this post to, all the “special” children with any kind of physical / mental disabilities. May God bless you always. And may all your dreams come true, for you deserve much more than mere “normals” like us…..)

THAT’S WHAT I CALL HUMANITY….

All of you might have seen many social workers. The very fact of giving your life for total strangers, giving them unconditional love, makes us think, just how wonderful these people are.

Some work for underprivileged women, some for orphan children, some for the old, some for cancer patients, some for the mentally-handicapped……

Have you ever come across someone who has worked for the ones with “Leprosy” ???

Murlidhar Devidas Amte, better know as “Baba Amte” was one such man. He passed away on the 9th of February 2008 at the ripe old age of 94.

94 seems too old but I wish that he should have lived for yet 100 years so that the next generations would have appreciated the mettle of this great great man!

If you have seen a leprosy patient, you might know their plight. And if you are one of the many who snub and scoff at even normal people, leprosy ones might give you jitters.

What can you make of, of a man who spent his entire lifetime working for them. He could have become anything else he wanted to be but without ever worrying about that he might be contracted the disease, he just kept working selflessly.

Anandwan was one of three ashrams he set up for the leprosy affected people. It got a 250 acres land grant in 1951 and still continues to harbor more than 5000 people. Today not only does it have a university of its own but also two hospitals, an orphanage and a school for blind. Anandwan is a small village in itself.

For years, leprosy has been associated with social stigma. Where the families of the patients themselves abandon their loved ones, I think, its hats off to this amazing man.

What is even more appreciable, is the support he received from his wife, Sadhana-tai. In a time of wife nagging their husbands about little little things like not coming home early or not bringing them  gifts; the support Sadhana-tai gave him was very commendable.

And also, who could have asked for more wonderful sons. Both his sons, Vikas and Prakash are doctors and have selflessly dedicated themselves just like their father for service to these leprosy patients. They actively participate in causes similar to that of their dad, running the ashrams, hospitals and schools in Maharashtra.

I do wonder, how can someone be so selfless. In today’s world, people cannot give unconditional love to their near and dear ones. And here was a man who dedicted his entire life so easily for such a noble cause.

Sometimes, I feel proud to be an Indian for this reason. But, what’s the use? Question is can I do the same? Like millions of other youngsters I would naturally want to have fat-money job in some Multinational company, a handsome husband and a beautiful home. It’s so normal but so ordinary. What will set me apart is the intense desire to work for my people, to forget my own desires, to come one step closer to god, to do that which is extraordinary yet take no credit…..

But then, it takes a lot of courage. I doubt , whether I have it. I doubt, whether most of us, have it.

For millions, Baba Amte will be remembered as a great social activist, as a wonderful person, but for Anandwan residents, he has been a “mother”.

And for me, an inspiration……