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| Invoking the blessings of Lord Ganesha as we begin the program at PRC…(and there’s Rasika just behind her with her loving guidance) |
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The jawans
at PRC are mesmerised at Revaa’s flawless rendering of ‘Ekdantaya
Vakratundaya’
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And now it’s
time for some light music on the synthesizer
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Rasika gets
to know the little boys at Sarva Seva Sangh
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Fr Babu blesses Revaa for her act of sharing and
caring. Nayan from SSS also wishes the 'Birthday Girl'
She is the youngest member to
help Team Miracle. Last year, when she was just 8, Revaa was part of an
entertainment program which we held at the Paraplegic Rehab Centre. It was
Revaa who set the program in
motion with a soulful rendering of ‘Ekdantaya Vakratundaya’ invoking the
blessings of Lord Ganesha, and later followed it up with two songs on
her synthesizer. All of us were mesmerized at the little girl’s
flawless and unfaltering enunciation of the Sanskrit chants, and her air of
assurance as she stood alone on that wide stage. This was on 14 Dec, 2013 , and for her, it was a
Thanksgiving for her birthday, which she had celebrated a fortnight earlier on
30 November.
This year, Revaa decided that
while she would invite only a small group of close friends for her home
birthday party, she also wanted to interact with those who are not so
privileged. Accordingly, a week before her special day, Revaa arrived with her
mother at Sarva Seva Sangh with a large bag of goodies for the little kids. The
children at the SSS shelter crowded around them joyfully, for a visitor is
always welcome…and one bearing gifts even more so.
Of course, the mother’s guiding
hand can be detected throughout. True to our Team Miracle’s chain of
activities, Rasika and Reva’s active participation and teamwork is nothing sort
of a coincidence…or shall we call it a Miracle! Although Rasika is just a few
years older than my daughter, we had first met as colleagues at the Indian
Express. We then lost touch as she got married and we both joined other writing
opportunities. It was a chance meeting at a wedding which brought us together
again.
As usual, it was a ‘What are you
doing’ approach. Rasika loved the concept of our Team Miracle, and I was struck
by the intelligence shining out of the then-three year-old Revaa. Thereafter, I followed Revaa’s activities in
school and at home, and what amazed me was the way Rasika introduced her
daughter to so many activities at home – blending academic learning with
creative arts, and also celebrating the best of our traditional festivals and
rituals, with a wide and loving circle of friends and relatives. As she was
generous enough to share these activities with me, I was always left yearning,
“I wish I had thought of this when I was bringing up my daughter!”
Even now, with an extremely busy
work schedule, Rasika still manages to inculcate a wide range of noble ideas
and make high thinking a way of life for little Revaa. She shares, “Revaa and I said a little prayer at our
home puja-place before we left to meet you - ‘All around we see people who have so much more than us. Instead of
looking that way, we say a huge thank you for letting us have enough to be able
to share some of it with those who don't even have that much.’ This thought
is what I hope will guide Revaa in her future years too - especially when she's
earning her own money.”
Such words of wisdom! …And as we from
Team Miracle pray to the Almighty to shower blessings on Revaa on her Birthday,
we hope many more among you will come forward like her and Rasika, and
celebrate your birthdays, wedding-anniversaries or remembrance-ceremonies with
the less-privileged.
Sarva
Seva Sangh is a home for underprivileged children and ‘children
at risk’ - street children, children who have lost one or both parents,
children of sex-workers, children who are abused (sexually or otherwise) at
home, as well HIV-affected (parents with HIV) and HIV-infected children. Based at Wadgaonsheri, SSS helps to
rehabilitate, empower and educate them. 1,600 children benefit under their
umbrella. While some stay at their various shelters, some get hot mid-day meals,
some get snacks and informal education, while others get Nutrition packs. For
more info, you can visit their website:
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