Siva is just 17 years old but speaks as
if he has crossed 70. “If I hadn’t been rescued and nurtured here,” says Siva,
“I would just have been any illiterate lad still doing street circus or worse
still, now that street circuses don’t hold the same charm as in old days and
are no more a sure means of survival, who knows I might even have ended up as
some anti-social element out there on the streets, peddling drugs,
pick-pocketing, etc.”
But thanks to the sincere efforts of an
NGO, this teenager has with his roller skates on, rolled out over the years to
a very bright side of society, and keeps earning glories not only for himself
but also for his guardian organization. 2014 saw him earn 1st place in
Ernakulam District Roll Ball Skating Championship (Junior), 3rd place in Kerala
State Roll Ball Championship (Junior) and 4th place in National Roll Ball
Championship (Junior). Well, this isn’t the whole story. His talents far exceed
these achievements. A deeper look into his past will make things more clear.
Siva doesn’t have any memories of his
mother because she had passed away early on. His father was a drunkard who had
mercilessly employed him and his brother Dharma in street circus. Siva still
recollects how scared he used to be the early days when his father would
delicately balance him on top of a long stick. “A fall – and that would have
been the end of me,” says Siva, “or perhaps if I survived the fall, I would
have been destined to live the life of a cripple with some broken limbs, ribs
or spine. I have a sister who is lame of both lower limbs… we haven’t lived
together much… she was handed over by my father to a rehabilitation home years
ago… but I understand how difficult it is to live like that, with such physical
challenges.”
Siva’s father, a native of Andhra
Pradesh, along with his sons and a few others kept moving from place to place,
like nomads do, in search of fresher pastures for their street circus. And
thus, passing through Tamil Nadu, they stepped into Kerala. Siva’s father used
to treat his children so badly that he would spend the money he collected by
risking the lives of his kids on street
circus, to meet his own drinking needs rather than in providing enough
food to the kids. Siva remembers that whenever some passers-by were not kind
enough to give them something to eat, he and his brother have had to lie down with
a hungry stomach many a night.
However, in 2004, when Siva was six
years old, things took a dramatic turn. All at once, curtains fell on their
misery when Police rescued Siva and his brother from the clutches of their
insensitive father and handed them over to Janaseva Sisubhavan, an NGO based in
Aluva (Ernakulam District, Kerala State) working to rehabilitate street
children. The NGO at once obtained legal permission to look after the children,
their father not being in a position to provide them good nourishment, shelter
and education. At Janaseva Sisubhavan, the brothers not only got these basic
requirements met, but also happened to enjoy a hitherto-unknown world of love
and laughter, friends and games. Shri Jose Mavely, the founder of Janaseva
Sisubhavan, whom the children fondly call as Jose Uncle, although not a man of
much formal education, had great vision, sensitivity and skill enough to
harness the potential talents of each of his children. It didn’t take him long
to find out that Siva and his brother Dharma had inborn inclination for a
variety of arts and sports, and that if groomed up and trained sufficiently
well, they will come up with some wonderful achievements. And, much to their
own delight, over the years, the two little brothers grew up proving their Jose
Uncle right at every turn.
As a child, the multi-talented Siva’s
stage skills ranged from cinematic dance to folk dance, from mimicry to drama,
from mono-act to elocution. His sporting talents are spread across a range of
games like cricket, football, basketball, handball, athletics, etc. But his
focus is now more on roll ball, roller skating cricket, etc., any sport which involves
the use of roller skates. Once Shri Jose Mavely invited a great roller skater
and international umpire, Shri P. A. Alaxander to Janaseva and requested him to
demonstrate and introduce the art and sport of roller skating to his children.
After a couple of years when Shri Alexander returned to Janaseva he was
surprised to find that one of the children not only still remembered in detail
certain nuances of roller skating balance that he had previously taught them
just casually, but also showed exceptional balance in skating even after such a
long break. That was Siva. Shri Alexander knew at once that Siva is capable of
going a long way up. And, Siva’s Jose Uncle didn’t hesitate even a bit then to
hire none other than Shri Alexander himself to coach the boy to success.
Today, Siva goes from place to place,
Erode, Pune, etc., not as a nomadic street circus player but as the captain of
his prestigious team of players. He loves to play as a goal keeper in roll ball
and as a wicket keeper in roller skating cricket. He gives credit for his
success to his coach Alexander, his Jose Uncle and many others at his school
and at Janaseva who have over the years been helping and encouraging him to
play consistently well. He passed 10th standard from MAHS, Nedumbassery and is
now a student of Government HSS, Chengamanad, presently awaiting his 11th
standard results. Besides pursuing his studies and taking part in various
sporting events at the same time, he is also engaged in imparting district
level training to several other promising juniors in his favorite sports, roll
ball and roller skating cricket.
Siva’s father who is now a much reformed
man visits his children at Janaseva once in a while. He says: “If not for this
Institution, how bad it would have been with my children. I couldn’t teach my
children anything, I was just putting their lives at stake. But my children
have taught me now many things. It’s Janaseva and my children who have opened
my eyes.” Siva now finds it a bit difficult to communicate with his father in
his mother tongue, Telugu. “But,” says Siva, “real communication takes place
from heart to heart. And, now that my father has one, what’s the problem between
us?”One wonderful thing about Siva is that he is not at all affected by any of
his achievements. He doesn’t nurture any big dreams, but isn’t afraid the least
to take up any great challenges. He is an easy go, humble and simple teenager
who has already learnt well to look at life from varied angles. He just wants
to roll his life ahead with such fun and ease as does he when on his roller
skates.
