161st beneficiary. (Wheelchair)
“Just as in a war, no one can tell for sure the
outcome.”
Meghraj Kumar (7)
Meghraj has cerebral palsy. His speech and limbs
are considerably impaired. Considerably weakened. It compels him to be rested
against a wall or chair, as his muscles cannot support his own weight.
His father, Suresh, works as a mechanic, repairing
pressure cookers, ovens. He works and resides at Dharavi.
Meghraj attends ADAPT school at Bandra west, where
he receives very basic English education. And the necessary physiotherapy that
will hopefully make his limbs more able in due course of time. Hopefully.
When we feel proud about something that we possess,
be it a value or virtue, or a material object or an immovable asset, or even
just a great idea, we can hold our head up in pride and keep it up there (until
we learn humility.)
Meghraj can't. Even if someday he is able to hold
the smallest pencil between his fingers and write his mother’s name in Hindi or
English, he will not be able to hold his head up with well-deserved pride. Most
probably not. He cannot hold his neck in place due to the cerebral palsy
condition. His head drops forward or sideways, in seconds, like a gentle straw
that snaps in a fierce storm, if it is not held in place.
If Meghraj shifts his gaze to the floor, his upper
body follows his gaze and drops forward in the direction of the floor.
How pain staking it must be for his mother, his
family or caretaker, to feed him. Or even make him gulp down a half glass of
water, I thought. Caretakers of special children must be the most patient
beings.
His younger brother, around 3-4, is a great
caretaker of Meghraj. If Meghraj’s head drops and his body consequently slops
forward towards the floor, his younger brother rushes to pick up his elder
brother’s upper body and make him rest against the wall. Since they do not have
a wheelchair, they leave him in a corner against the wall, or then lying flat
on the floor, most of the time. His elder brother has only just begun to lift
him to take him around when he needs to leave the house, so he is becoming a
good support for his parents. However, its time they got a wheelchair.
Meghraj is happiest in school. He likes to have
children around him. If you visit their special school, you will see for
yourself that these children smile and laugh as much, or more, than our
‘normal’ and privileged children
I asked Meghraj’s father, what his dream is for his
son.
He told me, the doctor who attended to him long ago
told him that children like his son may not survive beyond their teens. Meghraj
is already 7. He feels his son may not be with them for long. Since that day,
nothing in this world has mattered to his father more than seeing his son be
happy. "I am going to give my son the best life that we possibly can
provide him. My life is dedicated to his welfare. Even though no one can say
for certain how long anyone will live."
I recollect something my Dad had told me. He has
served the Royal Indian Navy for 2 years and the Indian Army for 6 or 7. His
commanding officer had told him, “In a war, no one can tell for sure the
outcome.” Same for life, I thought.
Not just for Meghraj. We all have an unknown amount
of limited hours to savour the gift of our senses and nature. So be kind to
yourself, before you be kind to your loved ones.
My parents went away too. And only then I realised
I should have been a little bit more patient and a bit more empathetic towards
them. I learnt my lessons. Well, we all will. At the most able hands of the
best teacher and PHD course ever - life.
Thank you to Sushrut Mankad, and our youngest donor
Mann Joshi, 15, my cycling pal too, for donating this wheelchair to Meghraj.
Mann saved money from his pocket-money for this. :) When I was his age, I would
save to buy toy dinki-cars.
Why is it important to help these special children?
Many. One of them being, I believe, it is our ability to be able to move with
ease from one spot to another which makes us reach our desired and varied
destinations in life. That is why we donate bicycles and wheelchairs and
walkers. Because one wheel at a time and one step at a time will help us
journey more than a thousand miles. :) Thanks to our donors.
Thank you Himanshu Shah for the discount on the
wheelchair.
#RakeshAnandBakshi https://twitter.com/RakBak16
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Beneficiaries of help:
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#HumanityOurReligion #Empower #Empowerment #Charity
#Donation #Livelihood #Bicycles #Inspiration #RakeshBakshi #ProudIndian #JaiHind
#Humanize #Equalize #Spiritualize
