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Helping...

Vijaya

Vijaya, on the other hand, knows her days are numbered. Unable to bear the cruel treatment meted out by her father and stepmother, she ran away from home with her neighbour. "I was only 15 then," she says sadly, "and I thought he loved me. He said he would look after me; instead he sold me to a brothel. When the madam sent me to a man for the first time, I cried a lot. It was very tough, we had to entertain four or five people every day. One day, the police raided our place and we were all taken into custody. The younger girls were sent to a remand home. I had to leave that place when I turned 18. It was then that they tested me."

The result was positive. "Yes, I know what AIDS is. I got it because so many men came to me. The nurses tell me that soon I will become thin, my legs will have no strength to bear my weight. I will cough a lot. And I will have to bear a lot of pain before I die."

She turned her face away and whispered brokenly, "I wish I had known about all this… I wish I was more educated… I wish all this had not happened to me…"

Jayalakshmy

"Ayya, (sir)" Jayalakshmy rushed into the room as soon as she heard Vidyakar was there, "when are you going to find a bridegroom for me?" She was in her 60s, but believed she was only 20.

"I don't know what to tell her. Every time she sees me, her demand for a groom starts," said Vidyakar. He turned to her, "Are you not a patti (grandmother)? Why do you want to marry now?"

"I am not a patti. My hair might be grey, but I am young. Please find a man for me. I will look after him very well." She turned to me, "Someone came here to see me the other day. But they said they wanted dowry. We cannot give any dowry, can we?" she asked Vidyakar. "When I was living on the streets, many men, including policemen, used to take me with them at night. I feel so lonely now. Please, ayya, find a man for me."

Dhanam served her master's family for more than 15 years. Now she finds it difficult to even walk. Arthritis. So she was sent to Udavum. But Dhanam refuses to believe she has been abandoned by 'her' family. "I know they love me, they looked after me for five years. See, Amma also works. So there was nobody to look after me. Otherwise, they would not have sent me over here. But I miss the little ones -- both the children grew up in my hands. I am sure they came here in search of me; the office people might have sent them away without knowing whom they want to see. They love me a lot. If I could walk, I would definitely have go and see them."

The new building

Vidyakar showed me the new building (financed exclusively by donations from the public), to which the final touches were being added. Thayagam houses children who are less than one-and-a-half years old. All the sleepy eyes brightened when they us. Except Lakshmi's, that is.

Lakshmi's association with Udavum began when she was deserted at the hospital itself by her doctor-mother because she had flippers instead of hand. Then, she was a quiet child who viewed the world from her own indifferent corner.

Now, Lakshmi is a difficult and aggressive child, resorting to tantrums constantly. She wants to be carried all the time. Otherwise, she hits her head on the floor so hard that she bruises herself. It took a lot of effort on Vidyakar's part to pacify Lakshmi.

Mahilam

Meanwhile, the older children returned home from school. A young girl welcomed them in broken Tamil, asking them about their studies, as she ushered them towards the dining room.

"This is my first trip to India," said Mahilam, who is soon to return to her home in the United States. "I wanted to help the needy during my school holidays. And so many people told me about Vidyakar and Udavum that I just had to come here."

Mahilam might be there for a short period, but the other volunteers will remain -- to love and care for those who have been have left their life behind to be with the unloved ones, to provide love and care for those who need it, to help Vidyakar, to make Udavum Karangal stronger.

Photographs: Sanjay Ghosh                                                       ...Back

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