An incident in 1998 changed our lives forever. We were traveling by train one afternoon, and the person seated next to us, near the window, was taking his meal. After eating, he threw the leftover food packet onto the filthy railway track. Four or five dogs ran to grab it, and we also saw a little girl with a baby on her hip, rushing from the other end. The girl was just three or four years old, and the baby about one and a half years old. She placed the baby in a safe place and somehow battled with the dogs to get the food packet. We saw her rushing back to the baby, and when the packet was opened, there was only a little food left in it. However, she affectionately gave it all to the baby, without taking anything for herself.
This scene melted our hearts and a thought entered our minds strongly: why can’t we dedicate our lives to love, protect, and care for these least ones? We knew that there would be many who are left alone, hungry for food and love. But how? What could a middle-class couple like us do? After thinking and praying to God for guidance for days, we overcame our dilemma. We realized our passion and the direction we needed to take. We decided to become foster parents for the abandoned people on the streets.
We moved beyond the safety of our careers as a company executive and nursing professional to a job that doesn’t pay but brings rich dividends—the smiles of gratitude from these helpless people. Yes, we did. Our first welcome was Manoj, a mentally challenged boy. When we met him, he was begging near Najafgarh church in Delhi. He had wounds on both legs, and flies were feasting on them. Somehow, we carried him to our home (now ashram). This was in 2004.
In the initial days, Manoj was so unstable and reluctant to take any food. He would strangely focus on something and forget everything else. If he raised one hand upward, he would keep it raised for days. Manoj was in a strange mental condition. Often, he had to be taken to a doctor to administer injections that would boost his appetite. The doctor made sure that a few kilos of food were stocked prior to the injection. After receiving the injection, he would immediately start eating. Now, his condition has improved, and he is staying with us. However, he cannot be sent back to his hometown due to the lack of his full address.
Many who come to us mentally ill and shattered are more fortunate than Manoj. When we take them from the street to our home, they often do not know who they are. But after receiving treatment and loving care, many are able to regain their memories. They can tell us about their families and where they lived, and we follow up on the information provided. If they want to go back to their villages and homes, we take steps to rehabilitate them back with their families. For lost families, the homecoming of a lost son or daughter is a moment of great joy and ecstasy. We have witnessed many such cases of joy, where even an entire village springs into jubilation at the return of a lost son. These are the moments we feel truly fulfilled, and this is the best reward one can get. We never call them inmates because all of them are part of our being, our family.
Visit our big family and experience the joy of togetherness and sharing. You are welcome to this celebration of life.
In love and oneness,
