We aren’t orphans anymore

When their mother told them to watch TV, the two little children never thought that those were her last words. What they saw next was the burned out body of their dear mother. When their father also chose the same scorching path to end his life, the grim fate mercilessly snuffed out their last hope in life.

Five-year old Devumol and her little brother Aditya aged two were not old enough to notice the strangeness in their mother’s voice when she asked them to go into the room to watch TV. Excitedly sitting before the TV with their eyes and ears glued to it, they never heard the desperate scream of their burning mother in one of the inner rooms as it was drowned in the loud decibels of songs belted out by the TV. What they saw later was what no children are ever supposed to see in their life. That day, the love and care of a mother became only a memory for those hapless children. Soon, ferocious Fate, like a blood-thirsty shark, came back on those two little helpless ones as if to take more vengeance. Their father, completely heartbroken because of his wife’s extreme act of self- criticism, severe financial crunch, and the shocking news of his son’s damaged heart valves also chose the same painful, burning path to show solidarity to his wife in death as well. It was beyond imagination, the deplorable condition of these children: the crushing state of two innocent children losing their father and mother forever in a span of 15 months. Their touching story of misery doesn’t end there.

Their grandparents could only stand helpless as mute witnesses. Yet, bracing himself, in spite of his old age and hearing impairment, to support the children, their grandfather stepped out of the house to do some small jobs only to see soon that his wife was falling a helpless victim to uterus cancer which then spread to her spinal cord as well. The shark came back again. This time it has set its bloodshot eyes on their house, their only earthly possession. It was gutted in a fire leaving nothing for them to pull out of it.

Wearing this crown of hardships and pain, they recoiled, without grudge or grumbling, into a small rented house on the fringe of the city of Kottayam. It was one of these days that the members of Reach Worldwide stumbled upon them. Touched by their heart-rending story, Reach World Wide decided to take over the family and they in turn thank the Almighty with tearful eyes for his providence.