Violence, bereavement, abuse, and trauma – experiences that no child should have to endure, have unfortunately been a part of these children’s past.
“Each one of us can make a difference by addressing children from such backgrounds; give them the much-needed love and care that effectively erases past impressions. If natural and man-made disasters get attention, why not social disasters? They need an urgent address too. This is where an organization like Sri Sri Seva Mandir steps in to make a difference” says an Art of Living volunteer.
Following are some poignant stories of such children; stories that fortunately start from despair, but end in hope.
Shankar Nachiketa
Shankar Nachiketa was barely a year old when he was brought to the Art of Living free school hostel by his grandfather, to be adopted and raised. An unusual factor indeed, for the child hailed from a well-off family. On probing further, it transpired that his parents had separated and moved on with different partners. Shankar had thus become an unwanted burden to be dispensed with.
It took the infant close to six months to accept his surroundings and normally interact with his new caregivers. At three and a half, Shankar, unaware of his family background, has accepted the hostel as his family, spreading his shy smile on all whom he encounters. Already making his mark as a potential sprinter along with his long leaps, Shankar has the makings of a great athlete in the years to come
Madhutattvamasi
The little boy was engrossed in dribbling the soccer ball, jumping up every now and then, throwing up his hands to the sky, as if he almost expected to reach up and touch the blue roof in one of his heroic attempts. Ironically, Madhu had a walking disability, his thin legs refusing to do his bidding.
No, the disability was not a result of a birth defect or an accident. It was a psychological manifestation, the product of intense trauma the child had suffered before he was welcomed to Sri Sri Seva Mandir. For, Madhu is the child of parents who had stabbed each other, orphaning him and his little sister. Madhu soon found himself growing up in a remand home with other juvenile criminals. His disability was the product of this dark past.
Art of Living’s Free School, Sri Sri Seva Mandir, changed all that, both for him and his little sister, nurturing them physically and emotionally, providing them with the education and the much-needed love and security. The result: Madhu not only walks but leaps up to reach the sky, matched only by his sharp intellect, which is equally eager to reach the stars. Given his exceptional intelligence, his teachers are convinced he will.
Tattvam
He came into the loving fold of Sri Sri Seva Mandir as a three-month-old orphan; both his parents lost to a Naxal encounter. Tattvam often slept snuggled with the puppies. He also had a peculiar habit of sleeping in a cowshed, addressing his milk requirements directly from the cow. Even when brought back to his cot, he would wake up and go back to the cowshed.
When his seemingly odd behaviors are brought up, Madam Maa, the school coordinator, adds that these are quite common amongst abandoned and traumatized children, but these traits change over a period once the child is nurtured with constant love and care and taught healthier ways of living and conduct. Now at seven, Tatvam has transformed and ingrained the etiquette taught by his teachers at Art of Living’s Sri Sri Seva Mandir school.
Interestingly, all children have been rechristened with a new Sanskrit name, as a part of helping them heal them from their dark violent pasts. Says Madam Maa, “The children were given Sanskrit names as these words have their own positive impact and naming them after such positive Sanskrit words are bound to accentuate as well as accelerate their positive growth.”
The Sri Sri Seva Mandir school, run by Art of Living, has changed the course of lives of these children for the better. This is evidenced not just by the school’s steadily growing student numbers, but also by the noticeable changes in the minds and physical health of these children wrought by the holistic nurturing provided by the institution.
You can further make a difference to our cause by donating, partnering, or volunteering with us.
