Dew

Some quick and simple measures to improve the feel-good factor: 1. Smile when you see a baby, however occupied you are with your work or thoughts. 2. If something tastes nice, just say it. 3. Pray for someone other than yourself and see it work. 4. Spend at least a minute talking to old people or children each day. 5. Do not look at your watch at least one day in a week. 6. Allow yourself a break from your regular routine once in a while. 7. Say at least five 'Good morning' wishes every morning. 8. Read a quote every day and have your opinions on it. 9. Believe in any positive principle and stay close to it as much as you can.

Shilpa is the name of this wonderful girl I met in WARDS, Indra Nagar last week. I did not think that there could be a case where a child just CANNOT react to anything at all. So, that was the problem with Shilpa when her parents brought her to WARDS, a school for differently-abled children. Shilpa is six years old and looks no more than two years of age. She does not respond to a hello or to a chocolate or to a noise or to anything else that a normal child would react to. When we met her, there was no reaction/expression. The teacher told us her health background and that we can expect a rare streak of emotion from her sometime during the day... I was wearing a copper-sulphate blue dress that day. I think the color attracted her, otherwise there was no other explanation any one could give for the constant look she had towards me... and I must say, this was almost always throughout the day. I even remember the attendant asking me, " its interesting that she has not taken her eyes ...

The Spoorthi team is a group of loving, caring, joyful, thankful and vibrant youngsters in Bangalore. Some of them are friends from the same college or same class in their school days. Over the last few years of their association these friends inspired their own circles and Spoorthi team gained people strength. I met this Stellar girl from the Spoorthi gang sometime last year. During one of our casual conversations, I got to know more about Spoorthi. This group of friends had started Spoorthi as a social service initiative funded from their own pockets few years ago. This is their website : http://groups.google.co.in/group/spoorthi_wecare The web page speaks about their work and service. So obviously I am not writing about their activities. Thanks to the Good God, I chanced to be a part of the team in the thirteenth activity at WARDS, Jeevan Bhima Nagar ( Safal Daily Fresh at Jeevan Bhima Nagar is the landmark). To read about it, click http://spoorthi-wecare.blogspot.com/2009/08/writte...

Had I been a poet, I would have surely written a lovely poem about today's experience with the differently- abled children at WARDS, Jeevan Bhima Nagar , Bangalore.... Had I been a movie director, I would probably be scripting for a movie right now, detailing all that I saw today... Only these two artists have the real reach to the audience and can create the effect of the emotion that crosses the minds of people often. Words are all I have :-) and I can express what I felt in the next few posts, in small segments ( hopefully ). I think, one of the best gifts that we all have in life is to express... and express well :-) That is my first lesson of the day, I had. All thanks to this team of friends called Spoorthi .... more about them in the next post.