Simran Baniya

Published On: June 19, 2019 12:05 PM NPT By: Simran Baniya

An Orphanage changed my life

An Orphanage changed my life

My family and friend circle have a luxurious life style. We children had all the necessities and all our wishes were readily fulfilled. We teenagers as teens go were always hankering for anything somebody else had. So just like the other teens in our neighbourhood, I too became a demanding child full of petty complaints.

Namaste I am Simran Baniya, a normal teenager. I am studying at Euro school. Let me tell you about an incident that occurred when I was in grade 7. My best friend come to school the day after her birthday happily showing off her new iPhone 8 plus. I was extremely jealous as I had a normal Samsung Galaxy. On reaching home I immediately asked my mom to buy an iPhone 8 plus for me. She glanced at me and disagreed. Of course an argument took place which lasted around 15 minutes. Back and forth we argued over pros and cons and gradually my temper rose and I rushed up to my room slamming the door hard. What a stubborn child I was. There were a lot of incidents practically every once a week. Another one, not too far away was the day I returned home from school and had a sudden craving to eat at KFC. I rushed around to tell my parents but they couldn’t oblige as they both had a busy schedule. I shouted and cried and threw a tantrum. I didn’t eat anything that whole day, so my parents had to fulfill my obstinate wish in spite of their workload. This went on and on with me troubling my parents with tantrums obstinacy. People called me selfish but I wanted My life, My Wish.

Then one day my school took us for a social field trip to an orphanage. We had never heard of it nor been to an orphanage before. The first thing I saw as we reached the building was a dusty open ground with broken swings and rusty slides. This sight gave me a funny sensation in my stomach. While I stood watching down the slide, a small child came with a happy beaming face and two others followed laughing joyfully. This made me smile too and at the same time a thought passed through my mind that these broken old things which we would have discarded gave them such happiness. Just imagine one of them had ripped her dress on the rusty slide. But she dusted it and went right back up again.

Inside was no better. The floors were cracked and a girl was swabbing it. The beds were huge where several children slept together, the sheet and covers faded and worn out. In a big room there were long low tables with benches. You could see flies hovering around and the smell of the food made my stomach churn. The children although scantily dressed and barefoot went about doing their routine jobs smiling happily, carefree. I think they were contested to have a roof over their heads, a bed to sleep on and food in their stomach. Nothing else matters to them. They survived gracefully with good and advanced technology- basic needs.

This made me look into myself. How fortunate I am! I had a home, a loving family who love and take care of my needs and selfish wishes. I was given an education, had friends and a perfect life. Once home I looked around me and at all the things I had abundantly and didn’t appreciate. How jealous and envious I had been of my friends. How I had shown tantrum over the food prepared in our clean kitchen by careful and caring maids! How I had treated and insulted their efforts to please me. How rude and uncaring ungrateful I have been regarding my loving and caring parents who always put me and my wants first and I don’t even appreciate them! When I reached home I ran in and hugged my parents and apologized for giving them so much useless trouble. Since then we girls contribute things from our personal belongings which we can do without and visit these children in the orphanage will necessities and are paid a thousand times with their glowing faces. Since then, I have realized my parents are the most precious gems in my life who I can never afford to lose.

This made me look beyond into the world and people around me. I learnt to appreciate my life and grew to be caring and giving, not just wanting and wanting.

One glance through a “window” in an orphanage had given me the opportunity to become a better person.

Orphanage, Life, Luxury,

Share on Facebook

Share on Twitter

Leave A Comment

Recommended Story