I don't know what to write about them. They are a different world, world I didn't experience in my 25 years.
They are little. They are naive. They have smiles for everybody who smiles to them. But they have nobody who would tickle them for that smile. Many of them don't know who their parents are or were. Life is very different for them. But perhaps they don't feel the pain. Because to these little kids, life is like that only. They don't know its other ways. And they wouldn't miss it perhaps until they grow up. The pain of loss is felt only by someone who has had an experience of having. But to someone who never had it, its loss takes a long time to dawn.
I met them a couple of months back and felt a strange affection for them. They are so adorable ! They are not mature but they are so unlike ordinary kids of their age.
I went to see them today after 2 weeks. The schools do not open until July, so they were free. And together, we decided to do an impromptu dance competition. I had seen a white board in their home on my previous visits. So I asked them to bring it out. It became our score board. Some of them put a bed sheet on the floor. The caretakers brought two old computer speakers which someone had donated sometime. These attached to my laptop made our own DJ. Within minutes, we had a complete Boogie Woogie set ready !
We made 6 teams of 5 children each. The rest 20 children, including some big boys who were shy of performing, became the judges with me.
In the first round, the teams chose the songs of their performance. And in the second round they performed on a song of my choice, different for each team. All the songs were from Hindi movies and albums and were with fast beats for that extra excitement. Maximum marks were 30.
Chaos followed for more than 10 minutes as they decided their steps and because they were doing something like this for the first time.
And finally I shrieked on the top decibel to get it started.
So, here we are...Ladies and gentlemen, Presenting our very own...Boogie Woogie
They are little. They are naive. They have smiles for everybody who smiles to them. But they have nobody who would tickle them for that smile. Many of them don't know who their parents are or were. Life is very different for them. But perhaps they don't feel the pain. Because to these little kids, life is like that only. They don't know its other ways. And they wouldn't miss it perhaps until they grow up. The pain of loss is felt only by someone who has had an experience of having. But to someone who never had it, its loss takes a long time to dawn.
I met them a couple of months back and felt a strange affection for them. They are so adorable ! They are not mature but they are so unlike ordinary kids of their age.
I went to see them today after 2 weeks. The schools do not open until July, so they were free. And together, we decided to do an impromptu dance competition. I had seen a white board in their home on my previous visits. So I asked them to bring it out. It became our score board. Some of them put a bed sheet on the floor. The caretakers brought two old computer speakers which someone had donated sometime. These attached to my laptop made our own DJ. Within minutes, we had a complete Boogie Woogie set ready !
We made 6 teams of 5 children each. The rest 20 children, including some big boys who were shy of performing, became the judges with me.
In the first round, the teams chose the songs of their performance. And in the second round they performed on a song of my choice, different for each team. All the songs were from Hindi movies and albums and were with fast beats for that extra excitement. Maximum marks were 30.
Chaos followed for more than 10 minutes as they decided their steps and because they were doing something like this for the first time.
And finally I shrieked on the top decibel to get it started.
So, here we are...Ladies and gentlemen, Presenting our very own...Boogie Woogie
The first performance...Mauja hi Mauja
Ladies special...Bole Churiyan
Lafanga party now !The hilarious...Tau Hat Ja ! The red shirt literally elbowing all the little taus..
The gentle women - Kajrare Kajrare..
The audience :)
No time for camera..
Party heating up now..The previously shy big boys rise from their judge seats, form an impromptu 7th team, and take the stage
Presenting - Kiya Kiya (Welcome)
And finally they pull me in on Just Chill Chill..The caretaker demands the song 'Just Chiaow Chiaow' for his dance...It takes me some time to figure out the actual song - Just Chill Chill...
The caretakers on the left and right, don't keep their promise and leave me in the middle of the dance :O
Deepak (in Pink Shirt) comes to my rescue, matches steps with me..
Others also join in no time..
Towards the end of 2 and a half hours, while Tau was still dancing, we get the focus :) It was amazing how they could imitate the actual dance steps in the song. They are gonna teach me some dance the next time I go there...I have taken the promise.
