Ashalay

Ahshalay. It's a 2hour drive from my place in Kandivali. Two brothers, Manoj and Michael, a couple of years back along with their families, gave up everything and decided to dedicate their lives to orphan children. Ahsalay, today houses about 40 orphan kids. I had never been to Khargar(hope i got the spelling right) before. Kunal, a colleague of mine asked me if I would like to join him for a special screening of 3 idiots which he had organised for these kids. Considering most weekends are spent either drinking or watching movies, spending time with these kids was definitely going to be a much better experience. And I was more than willing. More than the movie, the very experience of going to a theater was much more exciting for the little ones. They'd never seen a movie hall before. But the high point of the day, especially for me was the evening spent at a nearby park. (Mysteriously, the photographs have disappeared from Kunal's camera). I remember spending most of my childhood evening playing various games with the neighbourhood kids till late after sundown. And mom would come chasing after me to get back home. Well, with children it's still the same. Of course, much like the average working Indian, I am out of shape and touch and I am still nursing my aching back and shoulders. But running around in an open field, with kids, as kids, uninhibited of your surroundings, still holds a different charm.