Home, new home

SHARATH S. SRIVATSA

Coming from a war torn region, these children have found peace and security...

Making a splash...

From the battle-ravaged hills of Ladakh to the serene atmosphere of Melkote, the journey of these scarred young minds has been arduous.

Losing their parents and property to the bombs that poundeded on the civilian lines at regular intervals by the Pakistan Army, 10 children from Leh and Ladakh region have taken shelter in this temple town. The children are being sheltered at the Samrakshana Orphanage by Jadugar Jagannath. They are among 31 children who are at the ashram.

Today, the children have outsmarted the local students in education. Rizen Anchok scored the highest marks in Kannada for Mandya district in the Std. VII examination. Brought to Melkote during February, 2000, the translocation of these young ones was not without obstacles. According to Jagannath, the children had to be taught from basics such as habits pertaining to eating, dressing, hygiene and etiquette. Teaching them was not easy as they neither knew Hindi nor English, let alone Kannada. For nearly nine months after their arrival from the cold regions, they had to bear the pain of rashes. Initially through the sign language and later using figures and photographs, the children were slowly taught. Jagannath was assisted by his sister Jayanthi in teaching these children Kannada. They now pursue studies in the Kannada medium.

Dance away those blues...

Four years after the Kargil war, these children still recount the harrowing experience that is deeply etched in their memory. Spalzes Lhamo, a native of Khardong, near Leh, witnessed her school being bombed. Among the dead were some of her classmates and teachers. As she reached home, she found her home razed, with her parents inside. Even as Jagannath says it is difficult to erase the bitter memories in the children, he is busy engaging them in constructive activities and developing their personalities.

Exposed to a variety of activities, these children are taught swimming, yoga and meditation. They attend classes in Sanskrit College to learn vedas and certain verses in Sanskrit. However, these children continue to offer their prayer and interact in their Ladakhi language.

Comparing Ladakh to Melkote, with a twinkle in her eye, Lhamo is quick to respond that she was getting more than what she could have imagined here. When asked whether she wanted to return to Ladakh, she emphatically says "neither I nor any of my friends would want to go back to Ladakh.''

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