All the World is a Stage ! This is mine !

When I was a kid, one of the sisters here told me that I was dropped here at midnight on August 14. She cannot recollect the year though. She said, there were only 10 children when I was dropped. She said, I used to play all day with the other kids. I don't remember any of these. All i remember is her death. She died in an accident. A speeding lorry took her to Jesus. The only person who take care of me was gone. I would have been 10 or 12 then. We were about 50 people.

A small charity organization took in charge of the orphanage after the sister's death. A man named Albert owned as now. And the next 5 years were like hell. He found a way in us to earn some money. Those 5 years, I begged in front of all temples and churches. My earning was lower than others because I couldn't shout. The owner always beat me for that. He once broke my leg hoping, that would create some sympathy on me.

A year passed and suddenly, he became kind towards me. He fed me well, gave me new clothes and chocolates. He often takes me to his house at nights and did something, I didn't understand. At the end of it, I would be bleeding between my legs. I didn't know he was raping me. He raped me several times a week, sometimes alone, sometimes with a couple of friends. When I protested, they locked me in a cellar, beat me and left me unfed for days. I did nothing but cry. I thought of dying. But I didn't have the courage to. In the next four years, I was raped over 1000 times by more than 25 men, without knowing what they had been doing to me.

And one day, He dies all of a sudden. Some said he committed suicide, other believed it was a disease that silenced him. You know what I believed? I believed that, God has finally shown me some mercy. the Government stepped forward and tool in charge of the orphanage when it came to auction. After 5 years, I stopped begging.

The Government wanted to help us. they wanted to equip us to lead our own lives. They taught us drawing, singing, dancing and dozen other self employment activities. I took classes in English and Tamil. Soon, I was appointed as a teacher for the kids there. I did the teaching in my own way. I was happy, for me and for them. I loved the orphanage, the peace that existed and the silence that prevailed in my World. Years rolled.

And one morning, 3 years back, we had a new comer to the orphanage. A baby, a cute little girl abandoned at our doorsteps. One month after her arrival, I adapted her. She became my daughter. Each day, I used to feed her, bah her, play with her, recite poems to her and sleep with her. I liked her and she liked me. Maybe because we were the same. Silent. soon, I started living for her. I wanted her to have a beautiful life and I would help her get one, what I never had. She grew fast. I grew with her. At times she used to feel bad thinking why she was abandoned, just like I did. She used to pray to Lord to take her, just like I did. I could hear her smile, her laugh, her love, her affection and her warmth. She could hear mine. But she fell ill. I have named her Diana, the love of my life.

It took me 20 years to know why I was abandoned. Si I just wanted to speak to you. One time at least. But my voice still eludes me. So I am writing this letter. If you get your hands on it, come and see me. I want to see you. I want to kiss you. I want to hug you and I want to cry out loud. I also want to say, I love you.

Your loving daughter,

Shwetha."

By the time, Subramaniam and kavitha finished the 6 month old letter, they were in tears. It has been 26 long years.

In 1983, Subramaniam, a poor mechanic married Kavitha to satisfy his dying mother's wish. Within a year, they had a baby girl. They named her Shwetha. Only nine months after her birth, did they notice that she was deaf and dumb. The poor couple know the difficulties of having a handicapped girl in India. So they dropped her in a orphanage, where they felt the probability of her getting a good life was better than being with them. 26 years of hard work changed Subramaniam's fortunes. He was a business man now. But he had completely forgotten his daughter, until now.

The parents visited the orphanage. A sister took them to where Shwetha was resting. She has been tested positive for HIV. And she has spent the last four months all by herself. The sister opened the door and led them into Shwetha's room. She woke up Shwetha. There was no movement. The sister checked the pulse. There was nothing. Tears rolled down every eye in the orphanage. She died without speaking a word. Shwetha's parents asked the sister to take them to Diana. The sister told them that there was no person in the orphanage by that name. There was a doll lying near Shwetha. She had finally reached where she wanted to be, where she loved. There, It was completely silent.