As a child we all have played with various types of toys and learning kits, but as we grow up our choice of selecting toys change. And after a certain period of time we move out of the world of toy and make new friends in society. But, have we ever thought of a life where speed of our growth subsides? Where the mental ability of a 12-year-old child stands equal to the child half of his/her age group? Instead of having friends in school and in the locality, he/she remains in a room with a few toys and learning kits throughout their life?
No, we cannot even imagine such a life because we are normal. But that is the condition of a mentally challenged kid. Medically such children learn to sit up, to crawl, to walk or to learn to talk later than normal children. Might be true, but our experience at Good Life Center says “they very well understand what we talk and respond accordingly”.
Established in 1996, Good Life Center is a home for newly born orphans, mentally and physically challenged children and homeless children. There are 136 children in Good Life family, of which 36 are mentally challenged. But they have one thing in common – they all are neglected by the society. So to make them feel as a part of society and see smile on their faces we went to Good Life Center last week. We contributed a small amount of Rs 6000 in the form of toys, learning kits, biscuits and chocolates to the children.
Before meeting the mentally challenged children we thought of enjoying some light moments with the other kids in the center. Most of the children were brought to this center from the roadside, railway stations, bus stands and various other parts of the city. When we started distributing toys and chocolates to these kids the joy and happiness was evident on their faces.
A few of them were naughty, as children should be, and they playfully tried to snatch the chocolates from our hands. We spent a really good time with these kids.
Then we went to Maharshi Ramana Hall to spend time with the mentally challenged children. All of them were busy in their own world. We distributed biscuits and learning kits to them. There was no rush from these children.
Very quietly and with respect they accepted the biscuits from us, and a few asked for more which we happily gave them. They opened the learning kits and went on an exploration task. They made it clear with their actions that they don’t want anyone’s help in fixing the blocks. We noticed the glow of happiness on their faces as soon as they completed setting the blocks. They proudly showed us the finished set to us as an achievement. Yes, that was a big achievement for them. “One kid was so fond of our camera that after finishing every task he asked us to take his photograph and we took many photos of him”.
After spending a day with these wonderful kids, when we were about to leave they said “bye” in a chorus, which still echo in our ears. We left that place with a feeling of emptiness in our hearts but that feeling vanished when we saw the smiling photos of those naughty and adorable kids.
No, we cannot even imagine such a life because we are normal. But that is the condition of a mentally challenged kid. Medically such children learn to sit up, to crawl, to walk or to learn to talk later than normal children. Might be true, but our experience at Good Life Center says “they very well understand what we talk and respond accordingly”.
Established in 1996, Good Life Center is a home for newly born orphans, mentally and physically challenged children and homeless children. There are 136 children in Good Life family, of which 36 are mentally challenged. But they have one thing in common – they all are neglected by the society. So to make them feel as a part of society and see smile on their faces we went to Good Life Center last week. We contributed a small amount of Rs 6000 in the form of toys, learning kits, biscuits and chocolates to the children.
Before meeting the mentally challenged children we thought of enjoying some light moments with the other kids in the center. Most of the children were brought to this center from the roadside, railway stations, bus stands and various other parts of the city. When we started distributing toys and chocolates to these kids the joy and happiness was evident on their faces.
A few of them were naughty, as children should be, and they playfully tried to snatch the chocolates from our hands. We spent a really good time with these kids.
Then we went to Maharshi Ramana Hall to spend time with the mentally challenged children. All of them were busy in their own world. We distributed biscuits and learning kits to them. There was no rush from these children.
Very quietly and with respect they accepted the biscuits from us, and a few asked for more which we happily gave them. They opened the learning kits and went on an exploration task. They made it clear with their actions that they don’t want anyone’s help in fixing the blocks. We noticed the glow of happiness on their faces as soon as they completed setting the blocks. They proudly showed us the finished set to us as an achievement. Yes, that was a big achievement for them. “One kid was so fond of our camera that after finishing every task he asked us to take his photograph and we took many photos of him”.
After spending a day with these wonderful kids, when we were about to leave they said “bye” in a chorus, which still echo in our ears. We left that place with a feeling of emptiness in our hearts but that feeling vanished when we saw the smiling photos of those naughty and adorable kids.
*I wish that we take our children to such houses next time so that they learn the lesson of equality and sharing. Let us cultivate the habit of sharing happiness among our children to help others who are in need.
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