Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Celebrating Ma's birthday

It was Ma's birthday yesterday. She would have been 61. When I try to imagine her but obviously I see a face that is etched in my mind from 9 years ago. Young, smiling and a happy face. Probably by now she would have had a few gray strands in her long hair. A few wrinkles here and there. And when I try to imagine her like this I smile. :)

So like every year, I went to the Blind school to celebrate Ma's birthday along with my Mama as Appa is not in town. Appa organizes lunch every year this day. Every time I go there I come back even more awed looking at these kids and adults. And every time I go there some incident happens that makes me smile and laugh.

As I stepped in the school courtyard I could hear some beautiful classical music being sung and some one playing tabla wonderfully. I looked around and saw the sign of music room on a door. I was so tempted to peep in but then I thought it won't be a good idea to disturb the class.

Yesterday, as we were waiting outside the dining hall waiting for the lunch bell to ring, one kid was approaching the eating area. Just then one of the kitchen staff rang the bell. And when this bell ringer turned around, this boy was just at the entrance. He giggled and said "Aapne bell bajayee aur main aa bhi gaya! Dekha mera jadoo!" and he walked inside to take his seat while still giggling. :)

Soon all the kids started streaming in and we kept telling each one to wash their hands before taking a seat. For the first time yesterday I saw 2-3 very little boys in the school. They would have been the same age as Anirudh. And I felt a lump in my throat seeing them. They were not even able to reach upto the wash basin. So I helped them wash their hands. I had tears welling up in my eyes when I was washing their soft baby hands thinking why? Why? Why? Here is a pic of one of them -

Then me and Mamaji laid down their plates and bowls. Then we served them matar paneer, kashifal subzi with pooris and rice kheer as dessert. Its amazing to see most of them eating with such deftness without making a mess. Some kids liked kashifal and some didn't. Some ate kheer and some didn't. But all of them relished the matar paneer.

Since the last time I saw major changes in the school. They had built a big dining area so that all the kids can eat in one go instead of two shifts that used to happen earlier. It was much more neater and cleaner and airy. The kitchen was also much bigger and had ample natural light streaming in.

So to summarise, we walked out happy and satisfied after the lunch was over.

23 comments:

  1. Aww.such a great way to celebrate your Ma's birthday. I too had a lump in my throat reading about the little boys :)

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  2. What a lovely way to celebrate your mother's birthday. Hugs.

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  3. thats a great way to celebrate... good going girl... and its amazing to see kids like this I used to work with institute of challenged kids and they would be so pure and touch ur hearts

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  4. It's a wonderful way of remembering your mom! Hats off to you and your family!

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  5. that post brought tears to my eyes!

    what a beautiful way of celebrating her birthday. am sure she is smiling up there, knowing she has done a good job! :)

    abha

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  6. I LOVE that way of celebrating a Birthday. Tell me how to go abt it.. if Ishaan is better by his bday, this is what we will do.

    And i didnt know u were in a blind school ever! Most ppl i know have never been. Yes, they are amazing. And very inspiring ppl!

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  7. Aww that's beautiful, dear! Hugs.

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  8. What a beautiful way to celebrate your mother :). I'd like to do something like that once I'm earning...

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  9. Hats off to you milady... for reasons more than words can say!

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  10. Beautiful way to remember your loved mother. This is so inspiring.
    Thank you for sharing.

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  11. Happy birthday to dear aunty and a great way to celebrate it. I am sure it brings a smile to her face up there.

    I too used to visit a blind school weekly as part of NSS in college and memories of that still brings smiles as well as tears to me. A part pf what I did was write letters for the little boys as they spoke to their relatives. And it was very very heart wrenching.

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  12. that's a wonderful way to celebrate, nids. your mom would be SO proud of u.

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  13. my friend used to volunteer at the blind school, and she tells me that its humbling to see how self reliant they are, how normal they are...

    and that was indeed a beautiful way to do something in your mom's memory...

    God bless!!!

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  14. @all: Please don't give me any credit for this. My father does it and I just play along with him as I like to. :)

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  15. I used to visit a blind school through Rotary club, and there I realised that they were behaving no different. It was for girls, and they used to make plaits,dress up on occasions, giggle,play little pranks, al of that making for a heart warming site.
    My sister goes to an orphanage on her MIL's death anniv.and really our heart goes out to those children.
    Most amazing place i came to know here in Chennai thru my daughter, is an orpjhanage run by a couple only and the children are very well loved and taken care of.Hats off to them who have put their whole life in a cause.

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  16. What a wonderful way to remember mom!

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  17. Bless your heart ~nm. what a beautiful way to celebrate your mother's birthday. My mother used to teach the deaf and the mute. She used to take me to the school sometimes and I would be amazed at the resilience of the students there. These are amazing kids and it warmed my heart that you did something for them. I feel so proud knowing you.

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  18. What a great way to celebrate your mom's birthday !!

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  19. Moved.Touched.Happy too.
    BTW this is exactly what we used to do too.Celebrate the b'day of the kids by getting gifts for the kids at the blind school.
    Cheers
    Preeti

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  20. tis was such a satisfying, moving post to read. glad i ran into your blog.when in bombay i volunteer at NAB and always find it immensely joy-giving.

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