Nilay and Niyala never liked the way their parents celebrated their birthday. Every year they used to go to an orphanage and spend the entire day there helping the kids and arranging food and school stationery for them. They wanted to spend their birthday like their friends did by going to shopping malls and buying clothes and gifts. Of course their parents did that too, later in the day. But the day always started with a visit to the orphanage.
But this year, they decided they had enough. 6 year old twins Nilay and Niyala were planning on having a talk with their parents. It was their birthday and they wanted to do things which they liked. So, the previous day of their birthday, when their parents started arranging things for the visit to the orphanage, they walked into the room with serious faces and declared their interests. They did not want to go to the orphanage. They wanted to go to the mall and play games all day. Their parents were initially surprised. Then their mom sat them down and said, ” My babies, I am very sorry we are forcing you to do things which you are not interested. But we feel that you should not forget your roots. Have you not wondered that you never visit your grandparents from mom’s side? That is because your mom does not have any parents. I grew up in that orphanage. Those are my roots. Today we are well to do and living comfortably. But some time long ago, your mom was living in those tiny rooms with no one to look after her. We just thought you should know that there are many children who are not getting what you are getting so easily, and that your mom was one of them.”
All this while, the kids saw tears in their mom’s eyes. Their mom was a super mom. They have always seen her strong and handling every monumental task by herself. Seeing her cry like that, broke the 6 year old kids’ hearts. Both of them hugged their mom and said, “We are sorry for saying that. We don’t want you to be sad. And please don’t feel that you don’t have Ma and Pa. We shall be your Ma and Pa from now on. And we will never complain about our trip to the orphanage.”
During that year’s visit to the ORPHANAGE, the kids saw the world with new eyes.
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