Sangeet and Sandesh - District Rally and Conference - 21 and 22 Jan 2014

Breakfast Talk and Times with Elders of Idaya Vasal

Frequently visit Idaya Vasal Oldage home in Pallikaranai to spend time and listen to the stories of happiness, sadness, complains of health issues, prayers, sharing time with them by listening to them and giving them hope and happiness by spending few hours every month.  Every parent here is a literature by themselves.  They teach you life's valuable lessons. 

A Visit to SIP Home - A home with positive children

Be Positive - A lesson from South India Positive Network - Respect to Noori Saleem- SIP Memorial Home, Chennai

These 'Positive' children teach us how to be really positive in life.   Yes, you got it.  The children I am talking about are the HIV Positive children who live in SIP Memorial Home, in Kolathur in Chennai.    When you visit them, you will find smiling faces welcoming you and greeting you the best wishes for the day.  Every day is a challenge but they teach you that challenges are just there to overcome.   Every day is bitter with anitretroviral medicines taken twice to survive...but they show what sweetness in being alive every dawn is.  

I asked them very casually, how they are studying...They smiled and said - super.   Then came my next question inadvertently..What you want to be when you become big?   Most of the children gave a big smile.   One said that she wants to be teacher, other said- a collector, and one boy said that he wants to join Army where as other innocent little kid said he wants to become a police.   

Within a second, I realized what the biggest hope of all of them as they grow-   to be alive.   To be healthy.  To be away from the tentacles of death as long as they can.   

Shame to those who think of suicide as a solution to issues in life. To those who run away from simple problems   Shame to those who blame others for their problems in life.  Shame to those who who fail to take care of their own responsibilities.   It is unfortunate to those who destroy their own lives by getting addicted to smoking, drinking, drugs, laziness, frauds, anger, frustration and ego.   These children though are filled with millions of viruses within eating the hours of their lives and keeping alive with the ART treatment and care and love showed by their light 'Noori'  - who herself is a transgender HIV positive,  have everything positive in them that make us think.

More than books and clothes, their rooms are filled with rows of medicines that keep them away from the physical suffering due to the illness.  Same time, their hearts are filled with gratitude to every single day and every single friend who visits.  All they want is your touch, your smile and your hug to those little one's.  They don't want your sympathy or stigma to be shared.  

Being in the social work for several years, and also having known about them from Thilak, my friend who runs Sevai Karangal, we felt the visit is most wanted as we started the year.  For what the place gave us was a big wide strong message -  BE POSITIVE!

It is destiny that 5000 children in Tamilnadu alone are tested HIV positive, either infected or effected.  However, with the big hearts like Noori and her friends most of these children live in a positive environment trying to lead normal lives.  SIP Homes and the service is a god's way of showing the existence of humanity in the society.  The need for acceptance, the need for love and the need for care are all just the simple wants of these real POSITIVE children!  God bless them.

SIP Home, Chennai

To read more about them, please check the below given references:

1.  http://www.asiantribune.com/node/21679

2.  http://www.amaidhi.nl/en/sip-memorial-home

3. http://www.apachanet.org/inner.php?do=interview_detail&id=149

Happiness is getting to celebrate our son Ajay's birthday with these wonderful children:-)

 

Medical Support to Child Balakrishna suffering from Liver ailment

Medical Support to Child Balakrishna suffering from Liver ailment .  We procured the medicines for the 17 year old boy and have planned to provide him the regular supply on his road to recovery

Rooma handing over the medicines to Balakrishna's parents

Artificial Limb Donation - Making a difference to Mr. Manivannan's life

We, at Inner Wheel Club of Madras South is proud to have helped Mr. Manivannan to get his artificial limb and help him walk again and start to get back to his work.   He extended his thanks to us and we asked for his blessings

 

Varnam - Second ISO Meet at Vellore - 10 Jan 2015

ISO meets are time to showcase talents and meet people from other clubs.  It is the best time to interact, network and build friendship;  across age groups, geos and timelines..we join in the name of Inner Wheel and extend our warmth of friendship and service

Varnam 2015 is also a similar carnival where we had loads of fun,  participating in Ramp Walk,  Hair Dressing Competitions,  Tamil Poetry,  Cookery contest of dishes made out of Ragi.   Sponsored by 6 clubs and participated by several more, it was a day of enjoyment, competition and fun travelling to Vellore.