We got down from the taxi. There was a big building. The campus was large. I read the banner. "Deenabandhu Orphanage!" Orphanage! The place where children live without parents. My mom and dad! Where have they gone? I tried to remember what had happened. That day, I was returning from my school with my mom and dad. Then a truck hit us. Then, what happened? I do not remember. We entered the building. The lady who came with me said to the woman in the orphanage.

"Nilima, I found this boy in a hospital. His parents have passed away. I tried to find his relatives. Perhaps, they were new in the city. I could not gather much information. So, I have brought him here. He will be safe here. If someone comes to claim him, you decide what to do."

Then, a new life started. With many new children and people. Most of the children did not know anything about their parents. But I had passed 12 years with mine.

I always pitied the orphans. When I read sad stories about these children, I always thought I would do something for them. But now I had become one of them.

The orphanage surroundings were beautiful. There were swings and see-saws in the playground. While the other children played, I passed the days sitting in the verandah or in the shade of the tree, missing my parents. The owner was very nice. We called her Nilima Mahi.

The wheels of time moved on. I was the eldest boy in the orphanage. The small children started calling me Dada. Whenever I sat under a tree alone, they would rush to me and compel me to tell stories. I would play with them and I did not know when I forgot my parents. My days started revolving around the children. I also fed the small ones who could not eat on their own. Sometimes, we went to the cinema and also visited many famous places.

In between these, many things happened. Many new children came here. Many children were taken away by their foster parents. The old cook of the orphanage died. The building got repaired. The rooms were painted. A new house was also constructed. We celebrated our birthdays cheerfully. We planted trees in our campus. Some musicians also came to spend time with us. Old residents of the orphanage who had spent their childhood here and had settled down now also came to meet Mahi.

Amidst all this, 15 years have passed. Now I am 27. I have become Mahi’s 'right' hand. She has grown old. She now spends most of her time in bed. The Deenabandhu Orphanage has become one of the best orphanages in the city now. Our children are with us. Some have gone for higher studies. And I am here with a very happy and positive mind. Well, I have lost my parents, but my dream to do something for these wonderful children has been fulfilled.

THANK YOU