God's (forgotten) Children

It was during my days at the Madras University, where i was doing my Post graduation in Journalism did i start reading, hearing and seeing the world around me. Till then it was just me, my friends and family. Nothing much beyond that affected me much. But then once i started reading and knowing about things that are happening to people, or rather helpless and meek people, i've never ceased thinking about them. Of all the things that i got to know, there's one issue that really affected me a lot and has moved me.

Some time back 'THE WEEK" (dated May 20, 2007) magazine did a cover story which was titled - "God's Forgotten Children". The article started like this "Struggles in life, for some, never cease...." and then it went to tell about little children who have been either affected or infected by AIDS and have become orphans. Isn't it sad, that for these children struggles in life will never cease. Little children suffering for absolutely no mistake of theirs.
These children will suffer all their life emotionally, physically, mentally, financially... Gosh! in every single aspect of their lives they will have to swim against the tide and for what are they suffering all this - "mistakes of their parents.

The article (the week) quotes an old grandmother saying as such - "I had to feed them leftovers thrown to the buffalo"... the 'them' here refers to her orphaned HIV+ grandchildren. This is the state of children affected with HIV+ and AIDS in India.

The National AIDS control organisation says that 60,000 children were 'born' with the infection in the year 2005 alone. The children orphaned by AIDS in India is believed to be approaching 2 million, of this more than 2.5 lakh are 'infected' children and the rest 'affected'.... But the problem with this is that only 10% of the infected are aware of their status.

These children have been denied the right to life and happiness. Now, who has denied them these rights?, whose mistakes or sins are these? . Some blame it on their parents, Some blame it on the society and most blame it on God.

Martin Luther King, Jr. once said, "The greatest sin of our time is not the few who have destroyed but the vast majority who sat idly."

Let's do something. Let's make a difference.