By SHIPRA
Last year Kavita came to our Café after watching our podcast on some YouTube Channel and said, ‘आपसे और सर से मिलने का मन था मैडम॥‘ Very soft spoken, always smiling, full of energy and full of kindness is how we saw her the first time …
Amit was travelling to Corbett at that time it was I who met her – after sometime during the conversation she shared, “Ma’am I have run an NGO for Differently Abled Kids in Kotdwar for the past many years – it’s tough to manage the finances part, as I don’t have any source of income. Primarily it’s from the contributions only that I manage…” I asked her about her journey, how many kids, what all are the requirements and many such details… she left but left behind a deep impression on me.
When Amit came back from Corbett I shared everything with him and we decided we must become a part of her journey – HOW? was the question. So we called her up and checked what is it she needed on an urgent basis – what she said saddened us. She said, “Ma’am ration is difficult to arrange for every month… And, since that day, Amit and I decided we will provide for it regularly and every month without fail …
Thus began our relationship. We had never visited her NGO in Kotdwar. She pursued hard, asking us to come but because of our intense travel and busy schedule we couldn’t just go – we never doubted her work or her intentions so we never felt the need for it also.
Last month, when I had to go to Kotdwar for some meetings I called her up saying I was coming to meet her.
And when I reached her place my heart was filled with sadness when I saw the kids – all of them were differently abled and handling them with care and love, understanding their emotional needs, managing their behaviour with one another, cooking for them every day, washing their clothes every day – does require a heart which is full of love for them.
Despite the intense heat, as it was May, her face was all beaming with happiness and love for them – some parents come to drop their kids, for some she goes to their home to pick them up. The mornings begin with prayer, a quote of the day, a teacher is there to teach them. The kids are at her place till evening.
I sat with Kavita for long, understanding how she started, the challenges, the future plans. Speaking with her made me realise she loves the life she has chosen, she loves the kids, she loves the whole idea of being with them day in and day out. She simply loves them and that’s what matters to her. The joy she was speaking with was about the many people who keep supporting her NGO and she is grateful to each one of them. It filled me with energy and it reasserted the fact that nothing is impossible- no resources, no money, no contact – a simple lady who knew nothing except that she wants to work for differently abled kids and here she is running her NGO and loving it …
People like Kavita Malasi are the pillars of our society- they are the ones who show the path to many that, yes, you can create a beautiful world, yes, there is so much which you can do for society, yes, there is so much which each one of us must do to make our society better. Kavita Malasi, we are with you in this journey and we know there are many who would join you in your this journey.
The day I visited it was Shivani’s Birthday – she cannot see – and when I met her the vibrant personality she was made me realise – these kids don’t need sympathy they themselves are great teachers who will tell you to value what you have and that we must have gratitude for what all we are blessed with.
We all celebrated her birthday, sang the birthday song, clicked lots of pictures. I left with a gratitude that God chose us to be part of the journey of Kavita Malasi …
We are sharing it with you all to let you know somewhere someone is working hard very hard for those for whom not many work for – let us all be a part of their journey in whatever way we all can.
Her NGO is Diya Sanstha, in Kotdwar (Uttarakhand).
Let’s create a better World!
(Amit and Shipra are Founders of Lansdowne Trip Travel Café, Shahtoot Kothi.)
