A Visit to Anurag Homes - Another day in Paradise!!

I experienced another moment of truth at Anurag Homes Services on 27^th March’10.

It was a sunny morning of 27^th March’2010 when we started our journey with a couple of colleagues from office.It took us around ½ an hour to reach the venue.On entering the building, a lady approached us from whom we learnt some interesting facts about this place. She was one of the teachers who has been imparting education to the special children (mentally challenged) for some time now.

Anurag Homes Service was founded in 1990 by a person named Jaya Thakur Madhav .It initially started off with only 15 members and currently gives shelter to  55 special children and 25 old aged people aged 6 to 60 years.

These children also goto a school specially setup to provide training in  color concepts,body parts,shapes,money concepts, speech therapy,etc.They also have vocational courses for students aged 18 years and above teaching candle, phenyl  making,Book binding,Tailoring,carry bags,greeting cards,etc to enable them to earn names for themselves.

We were then introduced to Rama , the warden of the place who informed us that the home gets its donations through sponsorships from organisations, adoptions and sale of the items made by the students at various places, the cost of adopting 1 child being 12k for a year.They also have arrangements for a psychiatrist visiting the children every 2^nd 4^th Saturdays. Their IQ’s are also being tested on a regular basis.

Rama took us to the rooms where the children and old aged people reside.As we were heading towards the kitchen, we found 1 thin frail man sitting on a sofa...Seeing us he greeted us with folded hands on a smiling face but a long prevalent sorrow was clearly visible in the sad eyes.We entered the dining hall and kitchen after that.We met 2 cheerful ladies named Vijaylakshmi and Ratna who have been cooking food for 125 people for 5 years now!!

Finally,we stepped into the big hall where all the residents of Anurag Home were waiting eagerly for us.The plan was to celebrate birthdays of the children of the home and dance with them .We were introduced to Giri(fondly known as “Babai”) , a mentally challenged individual ,around 55 years of age.He seemed to be extremely delighted to see us and won our hearts with a warm smile and hand shake. We made him cut the cake and served refreshments to everyone. The happy emotions and radiance were clearly visible on everyone’s face!!

The next event to follow was dance.One of our colleagues had brought a couple of cds .The moment he started playing them the magic began.The enthusiasm and spirit with which these kids danced was mind-blowing. Its only when you come across such people that you can truly experience this great feeling of being happy with small things of life!!

After an hour of sweat,a  song contest began where the participant would be awarded with a chocolate.We encountered a couple of great singers (Bunny,Shahrukh)who picked up tunes ranging from “Chaiyaa Chaiyaa” to “Aaati kya khandala”.They made the atmosphere highly pleasant with their liveliness.

And finally it was time to bid adieu to the home and we again had 1 more day of our lives worth remembering and cherishing.

Holi 2010 at Old Age Home – Amberpet (Hyderabad)

I had always felt the eagerness to visit an old age home to experience
how they manage their lives when we complain about it most of the times
despite all the worldly pleasures. I had got a couple of opportunities
in the past but due to my laziness, I couldn’t pull myself up to fulfil
it.
And finally while working for Bank of America, Hyderabad, my process
gave way to another opportunity and I strongly made up my mind to make it at any cost.
On Sat,27th Feb,2010 at around 9 AM, I headed to office from where a
couple of my office mates would accompany me to the destination. We
started our journey in an office colleague’s car after loading all the
boxes to be given to the old age home residents as aids from the
organisation. On the way, we picked up his 2 little daughters who the
most were thrilled to set off.
The place was around 30 kms away from office and we literally struggled
to find the right way out since it was pretty much in the interiors. At
last 2 of our other office friends who had arrived there already
tracked us out on the way and led us to this place.
We all gathered at the reception hall where 2 of our colleagues who are
dedicatedly associated with this organisation and the warden of this
home familiarised us with a brief overview of this place. We learnt
that the contribution from the govt is bare minimum and a monthly
pension of scarcely 200/- is being provided only to the handicapped
residents of this home and only Rs.75 per person for purchasing basic
necessities. Here I must make a point that these 2 gentlemen have been
providing free medicines on a monthly basis and visiting them
frequently. That’s why they say that you can find GOD in human
beings!!!
It was time that we explored this place .There were 3 floors and we
began with the ground floor. I entered the 1st room and came across 3
ladies there. They would have been in their late 70’s and were decked
up in their best knowing that we were coming to see them .There were 3
iron beds and a bunch of trunks where I guess they would keep their
valuables. Sleeping on iron beds leaving the comforts of home at this
age!!!How miserable that can be!!!
We learnt from these ladies that they have been pushed to this place
due to reasons like children disowning them to son-in-law unwilling to
accommodate them. A thin frail lady sitting on her bed. On approaching
her, she informed that her son had brought her here due to unknown
reasons and now he is no more.Inspite of such pains, we could still
find smile on their faces .They were pleased that at least they could
recount their sorrow and pain to someone.
We then moved to the 2nd floor and stepped inside one of the rooms.

There were 3 handicapped ladies there,2 of them being blind and 1 with
a lost leg. We kept talking to them and cracked jokes to make them
happy .When we reached the 2nd room, we found 2 more blind ladies and a
polio-affected person who was trying to smile in spite of a partially
deformed face. When we asked them to narrate how they spend their
entire day, they gladly informed that radio is compulsory and they
can’t do without it. They had a small stereo kept to listen to music.1
of the ladies took out a small digital watch and communicated the time
(11:47 AM) excitedly by listening to the recording. What modest ways to
stay cheerful!!!
We then made to the topmost floor and entered another room.2 ladies
were lying on the bed and got up hurriedly sensing us inside. I used
the word “sensing” as 1 of them was blind and the other one who was
barely in her 40’s had a broken leg and could hardly sit up. They
folded their hands in gratitude that somebody had come to visit them.
The blind lady started speaking in English and we were dazzled as most
of them spoke in telugu only. She informed that she is a graduate who
used to be an office superintendent and post her blindness that was
caused due to an untimely eye infection diagnosis, she moved in here
around 15 years back. The most amazing thing to learn was that she is a
church counsellor and visits the church daily from 9-5 pm to offer her
service. She has not taken her disability as an alibi to stay back when
most of us are afraid to step out of our high comfort zones!!!
While I was chatting up with this lady, I heard a loud burst of
laughter coming from the other room. I finished my dialogue and rushed
into the other room to break into the suspense. I found a cheerful lady
well in her 70’s cracking jokes and laughing her heart out with
everyone.She asked me to settle down next to her..She was well
conversant with Hindi and Marathi. She revealed that her name was S-
Sakkubai and gave an extra importance to the S.There was this other
lady in the room who was walking on her knees.On questioning, we learnt
that she had lost her legs in a railway accident .She also informed
that her daughter was studying in the 10th and showed us her picture
as well. She also mentioned that her daughter visits her at times.
After visiting a couple of more ladies, we clicked pictures with all of
them and handed over the provisions we had brought for them..The
generous smile on their faces was deeply touching. We are seldom
content with the highly sophisticated systems in our lives but a few
basic necessities could make such a big difference to someone else’s
life!!!
The last event to follow was to celebrate holi with the home residents
and we gathered all the colors and sweets to rejoice the festival of colors. We went to every room and sprinkled colors on everyone’s face and
distributed sweets. They seemed to be the happiest as much as we were
enjoying the festivity in such a glorious manner.

It was then time for us to leave this place and all I can say is that
this was 1 of the best days of our lives , a day when we could bring smiles to a few less privileged people’s lives and be a part of their joy and distress!!!

7 habits of highly effective people – Stephen Covey

Well, I had the privilege of attending the 1^st part of this magnificent training program created from the famous book “7 habits of highly effective people” by Steven Covey today.

So guys, here’s presenting a few excerpts from my learning today. This part has been extracted from the signature course content.

The 7 habits if implemented effectively will give you better meaning in life to emerge into a better person and lead a more satisfying life.

The 7 habits is divided into 2 parts (private and public victory) to progress into a highly effective person moving from “dependence” to “interdependence”.

Private victory consists of the 1^st 3 habits i.e. Be proactive, Begin with the end in mind and Put first things first leading to self-mastery and self-discipline.

Public victory is attained when we build deep, lasting,highly effective relationships with other people. The last 3 habits i.e. Think Win-Win, Seek First to Understand, Then to be Understood and Synergize complete this evolution.

Always remember that the results that we get in life depend on what do .What we do in life depends upon how we see the world around us (Paradigm).

·         1^st Habit ->Be proactive :

o   When we can no longer change a situation,we are challenged to change ourselves – Viktor Frankl

o   Carry your own weather – You can choose to be consistent irrespective of a situation beyond your control J

o   Remember between what happens to us and our response is a space. In this space, we have a freedom to choose our reactions.i.e.I am free to choose and am responsible for my choices.

o   The problems, challenges, and opportunities we face fall into two areas--Circle of Concern and Circle of Influence.

o    Expand your Circle of Influence.i.e. Things over which you have complete control like your personality, behaviour, health, expertise, brilliance, etc which is what Pro-active people do. Reactive people focus their attention on things over which they have little or no control like someone else’s behaviour, society, weather, etc.

o   To know more about this habit, please visit => https://www.stephencovey.com/7habits/7habits-habit1.php

·         2^nd Habit ->Begin With the End in Mind

o   All things are created twice – 1^st (Mental creation),2^nd (Physical creation)

o   Always start an endeavour with a clear sense of purpose and envision outcomes before you act..

o   Create a personal mission statement for your life and live by it ..This will help you shape your life the way you want instead of having it designed for you.

o   Think of the key roles that you play in your life like that of a child, sibling, spouse, employee, citizen, etc, prioritise  each role , the responsibilities that you need to play in each of these roles and plan your life accordingly..

§  There is no greater joy nor greater reward than to make a fundamental difference in someone’s life – Sister Mary Rose McGeady.

o   To know more about this habit, please visit => https://www.stephencovey.com/7habits/7habits-habit2.php

·         3^rd habit ->Put first Things First

§  Things which matter most must never be at mercy of things which matter least – Johann Goethe.

o   Focus on Top Priorities of life and invest time into planning and implementing them.

o   Remember, it really doesn’t matter how fast you are going if you are heading in the wrong direction.

o   To know more about this habit, please visit => https://www.stephencovey.com/7habits/7habits-habit3.php

My terrible experience of AP bandh on 30th Dec'09

It was 29th Dec,2009,3 pm , I was sitting at my home in Mumbai when I received a call from “KesiNaini” travels which was supposed to take me back to Hyderabad that day.
“Can you reach the bus stop 1 hour earlier mam?”- The bus conductor requested.
“Yes,surely”- I said ,”But whats the matter?”
“There is a bandh declared tomorrow in AP and if we start early, we can reach Hyderabad safely by 6 AM” – came the reply from the conductor.
I rushed to the Vashi spot at 6:15 pm , 15 mins post which the bus started moving.
In the middle of the night,I realised that the bus had halted at Pune for 2 hours due to an accident that had occurred there.I dozed off.
I woke up shockingly at 7 in the morning hearing some people say that the bus won’t move forward. It was a lonely place somewhere near a solitary petrol pump some 70 kms away from Hyderabad. We kept wondering what to do next.
We asked the driver whether the bus would start anytime soon but he was completely clueless. We came out of the bus to identify with the situation outside. All we could see were several tourist buses at a standstill and people walking on the road.
In the meanwhile,1 family came out of the bus and managed to get into an auto that was passing by. They just wanted to move out of that area unaware of the consequences that were awaiting them on the route.
We also heard that both the routes to Hyderabad and Maharashtra were blocked by TRS activists with heavy stones and there was no way out..A few tourist buses also tried to move out but came back in a few minutes.
After a while, we saw a mob coming towards the petrol pump, delighted at the distress of the tired and helpless passengers!!
We got petrified and quickly jumped backed into the bus. The mob came laughing and screaming “Telengana” and snatched 1 bottle of petrol from the petrol pump. We started panicking that they may set the bus on fire. We could neither come out nor stay inside!!!After a while, the rabble left the place and started burning tyres.A thick cloud of smoke covered the sky.
My co-passenger got restless and suggested that we move out as soon as possible!!
I thought of calling the police to inform them of the situation and help us get out of this terrible state!!.I quickly called “100”.
“Invalid Number” – a loud recording from the operator killed my hopes!!Looks like it’s the latest strategy of the cops to stay away from their responsibilities!!
No mode of transport and stuck in the middle of nowhere!!!
At around 9:30 AM,my co-passenger and I took our luggage and stepped out on the road. Another passenger came and asked us to form a group and walk so that all of us were together and safe.
While we were walking,1 police van passed by. We ran and pleaded to them to do something. They simply smiled and informed that nothing is possible before noon. Alas!!!
We saw 1 fire brigade cross by. They had come to extinguish the fire lit by the mob.While on its way back,we begged to them to reach us until Hyderabad.
“We are going to a nearby hospital about 3 kms from here and we could drop you till there only” – The driver said..Well, something better than nothing!!
We hopped into the fire brigade,about 10 of us,some at the back and the remaining struggling to squeeze into the front of the van.
The brigade dropped us after 3 kms of drive.Now comes the Daandi March and we were all ready for it!!!
About 67 kms to reach Hyderabad, no transport yet and no place to rest at!!We managed to walk for about 5 kms , encountering several mobs and burning tyres.
A few months back,I had attended a management offsite at Kerala where we had to perform an activity called “firewalk” ,being one of the workshop activities. We had to walk on burnt coals, well planned with calculated risks by the facilitator and no fear of any burns. And here we were,walking in the midst of flaming tyres, danger at every step!!
Finally, we found a six seater which was ready to drop us till the “chauraasta” and we hoped to get a transport from there to reach BHEL, around 30 kms away from the place I live in.
Around 7 passengers jumped into the auto leaving 3 of us behind. We had no option but to walk again!!
After a strenuous walk of another 2 kms,an auto approached us and agreed to reach us till the chauraasta.We got into the rickshaw after much struggle to fit ourselves and our huge luggage.
I requested the driver to help us reach BHEL.The driver agreed provided things were fine on the road.
Things started looking better until we came across another mob.The driver diverted his vehicle to another route to come out of the chaos.
After a few more kms,we spotted another mob , this time they were carrying wooden sticks.1 of my co-passengers,a lady suggested that she would act to be a patient so that the mob would let us go.
The mob came hurryingly towards us and one of them even started breaking the front glass of the auto.We pleaded to them to let us go pointing towards the “supposed-to-be” patient.
One of them uttered something in telugu and asked the rest of the gang to leave us and indicated to us to get away quickly.
We travelled for another several kms,crossing a few more mobs and fleeing from them by the magnificent “patient” act of my co-passenger.
While we were about to reach BHEL,we spotted another mob at a 100 metre distance.A few pedestrians warned us to go back.The driver still gathered courage and moved ahead ignoring the warnings!!
The angry mob came running towards us with rods in their hands.This time,the lady had to put up a stronger act as the mob would only free us once they were convinced that she was really sick!!
We kept begging and pleading but this time they wouldn’t listen to us.They started abusing and hitting the driver!!
We were almost in tears, completely helpless and appalled. Finally,the mob let us go , convinced that the lady was really serious!!!
A few more kms and we were about to reach BHEL!!
The driver also assured us that he would reach each one of us to our final destinations.
I realised that GOD does exist in the form of some noble human beings who dare to go an extra mile at the cost of even their own lives!!
At around 2 PM,I reached my house,the rest of the journey going hassle-free!!