“Four”, I
yelled out as I smashed the ball beyond boundary. We were playing at Bombay
Gymkhana we were not allowed though. It was like my second home. I used to play
all day at gymkhana. My twelve more friends used to accompany me all the time. I
was around six then as I didn’t know my actual birthdate. We used to celebrate
our birthday on 14th of November every year. After all we were none
other than so called orphans born somewhere and brought up at ‘Aarushi’ orphan
house. There were many at ‘Aarushi’ who really cared for us. I used to ask
Shilpa di, the chairperson of ‘Aarushi’, that where I came from and she used to
ignore me by telling other stories. But one day she told me that she found me
in unconscious state on one of the roads at ‘Dharavi’. In future when I learnt
to operate computer and I just googled what Dharavi was and got shocked and
froze on the chair.
So I was
growing in a far better surrounding with twelve more children like me. Everyone
had his own story to be in ‘Aarushi’. We were enrolled in nearby BMC School. So
we were living a normal life on weekdays and were treated as different especially
on Sundays. Because most of the couples used to find their time on Sundays to visit
‘Aarushi’ and get a son or a daughter. I used to get bored and feared at the same
time of such sessions, I wanted a mother and father like other children though.
Those couple never took effort to think before commenting on us loudly. At the
age of six I had known every small defect in my body. But Shilpa di had told us
that those sessions were only for our better future and I had believed her with
my eyes closed.
On one
Sunday morning I finished a match with breathless half century and a victory
for our team. Then I went to Sundar chacha’s shop to have lemon juice. We used
to go there for refreshments. But we never stole a penny for that. Shilpa di
was our sponsor. Sundar chacha was a nice man. Many times he had offered us
some chocolates. But that Sunday morning one lady offered us chocolates. My
friends refused to take but I convinced them to accept her gift and Sundar
chacha also said to do so. I had seen her many times at that shop. She used to
come with her baby boy. I got more information about her when I asked to Sundar
chacha. She was a qualified working woman living nearby. She was a nice lady
and unlucky at the same time as her husband lost his life in an accident in
very unfortunate way. I left the shop with sympathy for her.
On one
another Sunday morning when I was getting ready for the ‘session’ one of our
caretakers came to my room and informed me there was no ‘session’ that day. As
I was about to jump he threw a shock bomb towards me. I was ordered to pack my
bag because some Mrs Joshi had adopted me. I started crying and my friends came
and joined me one by one. I never had thought to leave ‘Aarushi’. It was more
than my actual parents. But I knew that Shilpa di would never give me in wrong
hands. So I went to office room to meet my new mother ‘Mrs Joshi’. My head got
shaken when I saw her because she was none other than that chocolate lady from
Sundar chacha’s shop. Shilpa di congratulated me and introduced me to my new
mother and brother. She was shilpa di’s school friend. Then I prepared my mind
and left ‘Aarushi’ with teary farewell.
Today there
was a passing out parade at NDA. It was around fifteen years ago when I left
the orphan house. I got everything which every child deserves. My background
taught me a lesson to serve for others and hence I chose an option to serve for
our nation. My chest filled with confidence when I saw my mother in parents’
stand during parade. Today what I am is just because of her. I saw my other
mates getting the stars on their shoulders by their parents after the
convocation ceremony. And she was there waiting for me. My brother was watching
me proudly. I handed her my stars without wasting a second. When she was
pinning the stars on my shoulder we both got tears. And my heart spoke out loudly,
‘She was the one’!
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