Fragile Emotions

The next day, I brought a worker from Childline, an organization that responds to children’s calls for help. All they have to do is pick up a phone and dial 1098 (toll-free). Childline gets calls from abandoned, abused, and sick children and is prompt about sending someone out to meet that child that same day. Dipak, the outreach worker, came and talked to Himesh…but the repeated questioning had worn Himesh out.

If you’ve ever spoken to street children, you will notice they are incredibly forward and open. They will tell you everything about everyone who lives in their lane, everything about their families, and their entire life history if you have the time to listen or before you begin attracting too much attention from people passing by and random, vailaa on-lookers. But the tragedy of Himesh’s situation was still rare for even the nurses and outreach workers who work with the most under-privileged and marginalized sectors of society. I think that combined with the fear of being placed in an ashram, the stone wall he had built around his emotions had worn thin, and Himesh began sobbing uncontrollably. I asked Dipak, who himself was tearing up, to step out while I explained to Himesh that we wanted to put him in a place where people treat him with love and respect, give him good food to eat every day, and look out for him. I asked him if he trusted me to do the right thing for him. Scared and helpless, Himesh could only nod quietly.