Even Challenged Children
Can Have Fun!
January 15th, 2007 I suddenly decided to see the kids at Morning
Star, and I was very happy that i made it. I enjoyed the sight of them
having some fun, and being just normal city urban children, they had the
same spirit, the same shrieks, and laughter and excitement and disappointment
as children from affluent homes. Who said that children cannot have fun
and experience the europhia of their dreams.
Some good soul (I think it was Rajeev from the UK) had given these kids
a model aeroplane (I think it should be called the 'Phoenix' because it
keeps resurrecting after falling from the roof, time and again!) that could
be piloted and guided remotely. They were trying their luck with the help
of Joy to get the plane airborne from the parapet of the building, so that
the plane could take off and be able to fly over the field.
Here are some of the glimpses of the children enjoying themselves.
Several attempts and several
crashes brought the aeroplane back to the take-off spot. I happened to
be around and observed the detachable wings and found that they were put
reversed so that instead of a lift-off action, the plane was nose diving.
After each attempt to fly, the 'Engineers' would gather around giving 'sound'
advice to the 'flight controller' Joy! Typically, the question asked...'How
many people does it take to fix the plane?' ... Ans: 'One!', and '10 to
give him advice!'
One could even spot a future 'Ms. Chawla', India's first non-NRI
astronaut! Watch out NASA or should we say ISRO!! There is no lack of
interest in anything that the children put their minds to do, be it their
studies, games, acting, singing even helping each other, and even having
fun!!. This is the basic inner love, and feeling that the children of Morning
Star are traditionally brought up with.
So after rectifying the structure (the wings are attached by rubber bands)
the plane finally took off on a short flight much to the enjoyment of
the children. However, it was short lived as the plane could not be effectively
controlled by the remote control and it crashed into a tree at the edge
of the field. After that it was found that the batteries needed to be
charged and so the whole adventure was postponed for another afternoon.
Even 'Tata Sumo' the then 'new' addition to Morning Star gets a helping
hand to view the excitement and also a hug of love from a few! Love is
what makes the World Go Round, is the name of one of the famous old songs,
and that Love can be found so naturally in the setting of this 19 year old
Institution. Even the birds and animals feel so comfortable that they do
not hesitate to build their nests with the confidence that they are safe
from any harm, and that even their young ones will also grow up with that
assurance. It all grows from the way they are treated and it shows in the
way they respond. If and when you visit Morning Star, you will know what
I am talking about.
The tree in the middle of the courtyard has become a home for many a
bird.
A view of the inner 'Garden' quadrangle showing the kids sitting around
reading some story books. It was a surprise for me when I came down to find
the kids all along the corridor and not a sound could be heard. Each one
having enough space to browse through his or her own book. Even the challenged
children have a chance to go through the books. Earlier they used to destroy
the books, but slowly that seemed to have subsided.
A view of the garden also looks very impressive as the shadows make intrinsic
designs. Thisgarden is an integral part of the children's lives, they learn
to appreciate nature, they take turns in caring for the plants, water them,
and learn not to destroy beauty. The garden outside is even better and
the way the flowers bloom, tells aa lotabout how they are treated by the
inmates. There is many a ggardenerthat feels if you want a plant to grow
healthy, talk to it, and so you will see that many a voice has been heard
at Morning Star!
Some of the kids were holed up in the LIbrary engrossed with their reading.
It is a regular time-table for the children of Morning Star, and that gives
them a good chance to add ideas and language to their studies and drawings.
This is one of the typical holidays that the children of Morning Star have
enjoyed, shown their excitement, it goes to show that Even Challenged
Children Can Have Fun!
Cheers
Ronnie
Return to the Morning
Star Homepage
Return
to Visitors Pages
Go to the 'Happenings at Morning Star in Year 2007
Return to Ronnies Bangalorewalla
pages
Several attempts and several
crashes brought the aeroplane back to the take-off spot. I happened to
be around and observed the detachable wings and found that they were put
reversed so that instead of a lift-off action, the plane was nose diving.
After each attempt to fly, the 'Engineers' would gather around giving 'sound'
advice to the 'flight controller' Joy! Typically, the question asked...'How
many people does it take to fix the plane?' ... Ans: 'One!', and '10 to
give him advice!' 
One could even spot a future 'Ms. Chawla', India's first non-NRI
astronaut! Watch out NASA or should we say ISRO!! There is no lack of
interest in anything that the children put their minds to do, be it their
studies, games, acting, singing even helping each other, and even having
fun!!. This is the basic inner love, and feeling that the children of Morning
Star are traditionally brought up with.
So after rectifying the structure (the wings are attached by rubber bands)
the plane finally took off on a short flight much to the enjoyment of
the children. However, it was short lived as the plane could not be effectively
controlled by the remote control and it crashed into a tree at the edge
of the field. After that it was found that the batteries needed to be
charged and so the whole adventure was postponed for another afternoon.
The tree in the middle of the courtyard has become a home for many a
bird. 
A view of the inner 'Garden' quadrangle showing the kids sitting around
reading some story books. It was a surprise for me when I came down to find
the kids all along the corridor and not a sound could be heard. Each one
having enough space to browse through his or her own book. Even the challenged
children have a chance to go through the books. Earlier they used to destroy
the books, but slowly that seemed to have subsided. 
A view of the garden also looks very impressive as the shadows make intrinsic
designs. Thisgarden is an integral part of the children's lives, they learn
to appreciate nature, they take turns in caring for the plants, water them,
and learn not to destroy beauty. The garden outside is even better and
the way the flowers bloom, tells aa lotabout how they are treated by the
inmates. There is many a ggardenerthat feels if you want a plant to grow
healthy, talk to it, and so you will see that many a voice has been heard
at Morning Star! 
