CLOWNSELORS FOR ROHINGYA

"If we have no peace, it is forgotten that we belong to each other. "

- Mother Teresa.

I have always believed these words of Mother Teresa, have different echoes to it. And a recent connotation one can put on it is the refugee crisis, India is facing.

Allow me to narrate an incident.

A few days back, I read an article in The Hindu about the Rohingya refugee case which happened in the year 2018.

 FAST FORWARD TO 5 HRS.

 Ms Sheetal Aggarwal, the founder of clownselors, who also happened to be my sociology professor was telling me and my friends about how clownselors in collaboration with letters of love is going to hold a session for the children belonging to the Rohingya families.

NOW FAST FORWARD TO TWO DAYS.

It is finally 13th of February, and we all arrived there. The whole clownselors team, all decked up in cool yellow t-shirts with bags full of refreshments looking all exhilarated and motivated were waiting for us. We all got down the metro station and walked straight until faced with a red-light and took a left from there. As soon as we entered the street where the families lived, I could see a sense of curiosity on everyone's face. The street looked something out of a documentary about Syria. Shattered houses, dried drains, no sign of greenery, the street was prevailing with mystery, horror and grief.

We all went straight to the school to meet the children and start with the session.

It was a small place with camps in it and a single pakka room built a meter above the ground.

Seeing the volunteers, the children couldn't resist themselves but jump on their places. One could see how happy and excited they all were.

Once, all the children were present the session began.

It all started with a 'chuk chuk gaadhi', carried on by a theatrical representation about sanitation, and good touch-bad touch, to make children aware of these issues. This all was followed by the clownselors classic 'Dadhi waale baba' and 'baby shark'. It was astonishing to see how the children were reacting to everything, they were laughing, mingling with the volunteers, hugging them, throwing tantrums at them.

I KNOW RIGHT, THEY WERE BEHAVING LIKE NORMAL CHILDREN.

Amid the whole scenario, which made their lives come on a standstill, which made them grow before their age, which killed their aspirations and hopes, which took away the most important thing from their childhood - carelessness. These children still have some innocence penetrating deep through their veins, a desire to live and a desire to fly high.

One could see the gleaming eyes of the children, secretly hoping for the session to not end.

I guess, this is what Clownselors was aiming to do.

Not let the fire of hope dampen in their hearts...

Today, the whole world is facing a refugee crisis, after all, who are these refugees, when the world is aiming to become one.

Antonio Guterres said in a meeting regarding human rights - what is at stake is nothing less than the survival and well-being of a generation of innocents.

I believe all of us couldn't agree with him more.