HELPING HANDS

Day:-4 ( Yellow )

Early morning during the time of Navratri, I was hurriedly cycling to school as it was Wednesday and I had to present at the school playground by 7:30 for PT (Physical training ) and it was already being 7:22 am and I have to cover 5 km more to my school. 

I was a student of class 7 and everyday has to cycle 8km to my school but there was a short cut that happens to be 2km less but I had to cross the railway track. My parents had strictly told me never to take the short cut as it's risky while crossing the railway track and they often said short cuts, cuts your life short so I had never taken that route even because of fear my fear of the monstrous trains.

But on that very day, I had no other option than to take the short cut as I fear the wrath of my teacher.As I was crossing the tracks I spotted Milan Bhaiya, the captain of the Red House of our school, talking to few slum children who dwelled in the slum that streched along side the railway track. 

Milan Bhaiya was two year senior to me in my school but we were close to each other as I am one of the player in his Red House cricket team. Since I was getting late for school and the PT class, I didn't bother to stay back to ask Milan Bhaiya what was he doing there?. I cycled fast to reach the school. 

By gods grace I was at the ground in time but Milan Bhaiya wasn't fortunate enough to be spared from our teacher's punishment for being late. On being asked why did he get late for PT? Milan Bhaiya said that his bicycle broke down on his way to the school but I knew he was lying as I had seen him near the track.

During the recess, I went up to him and asked Milan Bhaiya the reason for which he lied while I had seen his cycle being perfectly alright and had seen him near the railway track with those slum children. He just smiled at me and said that if I want to know the reason that I have to be at that place the next day at that time only. I couldn't understand what he was up to but curiosity did develop within me to know that Milan Bhaiya was upto. What can be the reason for which he preferred to lie. 

Next day I reached there as asked by Milan Bhaiya and after a while Milan Bhaiya arrived there with some packets hung on his cycle, the moment he reached, the slum children happily ran towards him. Milan Bhaiya distributed those packets to each of them while I stood dumbstruck without any clue what's going on there. Those children with great joy and happiness opened those packets. I was surprised to see each packets contained some eatables and those children are then with smiles on their faces. 

I asked Milan Bhaiya what was that? And how did he manage to buy so many eatables to distribute them to so many children? Do his parents give him so much pocket money everyday that he could afford to buy those children foods?

Milan Bhaiya listening to my questions just smiled and said that previous day he had distributed the food items that were left after his younger sister's birthday party got over and today he is distributing the food items that were left after last night Navratri program in his colony. Instead of throwing the left over food in the dustbin he brought those for these cute and needy children so that it can be of use to them. He even told me that he had told everyone in his society that if they have any food left after any program then to give him so that he can distribute those to those children. He finds peace and happiness seeing smile and joy in those children's face. He even told me that everyday he comes to this place early so that he can teach those children how to read and write. Those words and deeds of Milan Bhaiya touched my heart, I told him I would like to help him in his beautiful deeds.

Later after the school both of us chalked out a plan and by the permission of our school principal we painted a wall near our school gate and wrote a note there with a caption, " HELPING HANDS" and requested everyone who ever was interested to donate their as well as their family and neighbours old clothes so that those can be distributed to the destitute children and to their family members and also requested everyone not to throw away the excess of their eatables rather inform us so that we can collect those from them and distribute those in the slum.

Thus a beautiful journey for a noble cause called "HELPING HANDS" began from our school that not only brought smile in the face of those poor children or their family members but also gave happiness and joy to everyone of us who had a contribution towards those children's smile.