Old habits die hard..but when they do die..a lot can happen!!!

Hey its been so long since I last posted here. But with nothing much to write, I thought I will share one of my most moving experience. I wrote this two and a half years back and I am re-printing the experience un-edited. Lot has changed since then,but the feeling has not changed. This happened in summers of 2006 and well...you can read the rest.As always its a very looooong post..But as I said "Old habits Die Hard" :) enjoy (atleast try to)
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People say it takes few seconds for a person’s life to change. For me it took only a single moment….and from then on I have embarked on a journey towards self realization…towards serving my society…towards helping my fellow people who were just strangers before….Its just a start but I am sure the journey will continue…

Till now I was leading a life of not my choice but simply following what others told me was right…It took me twenty years to come out of that shell but I am glad that I didn’t wait for twenty more. I always wanted to do something for the society but somehow wasn’t able to take that initial step. There were some inhibitions in my mind, probably about from where to start. But this summer I decided that I had to start it now. It wasn’t worth it living like this and running away from something I really believed in.

I was fortunate to come across AID Delhi chapter through net. I called up the number given on the website and was lucky that it was Somendra to whom I talked first. Whatever doubts I had in my mind he removed them and for this I will be always grateful to him. He told me everything about AID Delhi activities (for like half an hour on phone!!) and I knew that I was going to associate myself with this. He asked me to go to Khoj project at Hyatt and meet Pawan.

When I first talked to Pawan on phone I imagined him to be a 35-40 year old guy with some degrees in sociology. I went straight to Hyatt after my training but to my surprise he was not what I had thought him to be. He was of my age group only. With him was Zubair. Both of them called up the kids there and within seconds everyone came running towards them and hugged them. I was moved to see that but was still nervous whether I would be able to make the same rapport with the kids or not. They introduced me to the kids and the kids were really excited to see me there which made me comfortable. Then Pawan gave me the responsibility to do any activity for that day. I asked the kids if they would like to play some game. But to my surprise the kids said that they wanted to study. I couldn’t believe this because I had thought that kids of their age wanted to play games only. But seeing their zeal to study I realized that throughout the day they are having fun only so probably studying is a hobby for them which is great. After my first session with the kids I was deeply moved. That feeling was really overwhelming and I just couldn’t control my emotions. I was amazed at the work Pawan and Zubair were doing and it changed my point of view towards life and people. I couldn’t speak for some time and decided that I would work with Pawan and Zubair for forty five days of my stay in Delhi.

Next day I went to the Dilli Haat center with a positive view about life and with more confidence. As I entered the park one of the girls (Pooja) came running towards me yelling “Bhaiya aa gaye” and hugged me. I was meeting her for the first time and still the affection she showed towards me was something totally unexpected. It was a feeling which can be only felt at that moment and can’t be explained. These kids only want love and affection and they reciprocate it with pure feelings. They are so joyous and fun loving even with so many problems in their life while we keep cribbing over trivial matters. Even though these kids were not trained I could really see that some of them were really sharp. They were really smart unexpected of their age and proper care and guidance can make them do wonders.

As my internship was going on at that time I decided to engage myself during weekends only till June end. I also attended the OR of AID held at IIT D and there I came to know about various other projects AID Delhi was involved in. I met many like minded people there and the stereo type image I had (and most of the people still do) of social work was gone. Now I know that its my social responsibility to work towards betterment of my society. I was probably very sentimental there but after to talking to people like Anuj, Somendra and many more I formed a practical view of the goals I wanted to set for my life and for this I am indebted to them all. The best thing about AID Delhi was that everyone was helping in the way he/she wanted. Some were teaching, some were giving lessons on computers, health, etc. Some were their in the publication team, fundraising team or taking care of finances which was really amazing. I now knew that every person can contribute without being forced to do so…..

I am a positive person but after these few days I started feeling more energetic. The next step was to decide how I wanted to help. I wanted to get involved in many projects but due to time constraints I decided to limit myself to Khoj and one fundraising event at FSS where I was doing my internship.

With the help of managers from corporate communication of FSS I was able to organise a fund raising event for Parichay. It was the first time I met Vijay Bhaiya and to see his level of dedication and commitment towards empowering unprivileged kids was simply amazing and heart-touching. Above all his modest and polite nature reflected his attitude towards life. I have no ideals in life but seeing real life heroes like Vijay Bhaiya, Pawan , Zubair and many others who are working towards a noble cause with great zeal has really motivated me. I am short of words to describe these people. It’s only when you meet them that you realize that life can be beautiful if you serve others. Vijay Bhaiya is a really great role model and I feel honoured that he shared his knowledge and wisdom with me.

Here I would like to mention one more event which I had only seen in movies and could never imagine that I would be able to do it although now it seems pretty natural. One day when I went to Dilli Haat center to teach the kids it started to rain quite heavily. So Pawan and all decided to have a little fun. He, Zubair and the kids began dancing and singing in the rain in front of the entrance and also invited me. I didn’t hesitate for a moment and joined them. We sang, I don’t know, like every type of song and it was simply amazing. Everyone around was watching us in disbelief but we really didn’t care. We were just having fun and were in a totally different world. The joy and happiness on the face of all the kids was something I would cherish for the rest of my life. It was the dance of joy and probably rain gods were also helping us. We had so much fun and later few visitors there also joined us. I don’t know if I would ever get a chance to relive that moment but certainly that was one of the most enjoyable moment of my life……


From July onwards I started going regularly to the Hyatt center. The kids there are really disciplined and are always more than eager to learn something new. Whether it’s drawing kites and apples or learning how to write their names they are always excited about it. One thing I learned there was that once you build up the trust with these kids then you really don’t have to make an extra effort to teach them anything new. They make these things easier for you. One month with them finished so quickly that I just wanted to stay back but I knew that I had to go back. I so much wanna come back and play cricket with them on Saturdays…or maybe read to them a new story with some moral which I always hoped some of them might be able to grasp….or do “boogie woogie” with them…probably what I had to offer was very miniscule…but what I learned from them was really big…to be happy in the time of adversities…to think like life has no worries. Well these things can’t be learned in school or college….

I really miss Ganesh, Kalicharan, Maya, Rani, Peter, Pooja and many more kids..
But most of all I miss Gutti, sweet two year old girl, who is very naughty but always smiling and always looking for a ride on my arms…their radiant and bright faces make me more strong and determined towards my fulfilling my duties… The day I was leaving and met them they were not willing to let me go which almost brought me to tears. So much love in such a short time….


If there is one thing that I have achieved during my stay it was to see my young brother Aaroosh, who is only 11 years old, ask me to take him with me to Hyatt center. I never had to force him to come with me but to see him so concerned made me feel proud of him. I hope many kids understand this and become more responsible towards their society.


I feel happy for one thing that finally brochure and a power point presentation for Khoj is now ready. For this credit goes to Selva, Rohit and Divya with of course invaluable inputs from Pawan and Zubair. I am sure now it would be easier to present the work carried out in Khoj in a better way coz I personally feel that they need to be given more credit for their work.


Well one great thing about all the people I have met is that they all are practical about the goals they are going to achieve. They all know that it won’t be easy for all the kids to leave their daily jobs or the slums they are leaving in but at least they can learn and understand some skills and values of life which will help them decide between right and wrong correctly.

I hope my relationship with Khoj and AID Delhi will continue in future also. Shortly I will be starting one project in my campus also and will update all of you bout it.

There are many people whom I admire and respect and who have helped me understand life in a more meaningful way. Somendra for his energy and ideas and the level with which he motivates everyone is exceptional. Pawan and Zubair for their determination and the sacrifices they have made and for their vision about Khoj. Anuj for his intellect and calm persona. Selva, who goes one step ahead to help others. Vijay Bhaiya for all the good things he told me about life. Chirag who looks so young and naïve but has a lot of determination and is doing a great job. I apologise to everyone else whom I failed to mention. This one month has given me a lot of friends and I wish you all best of luck and hope that you all achieve success in life. I would be visiting Delhi soon and would meet you all then. Do keep in touch….


If ever I am disillusioned or stray away from my path then the efforts of these people will pull me back………
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