Chapter 4 : warden meera
If one were to count, more than a thousand children arrived here every year. Since Hastinapur was such a massive kingdom in itself, such numbers were not surprising.
Previously, there was no such orphanage in the kingdom. However, Ganga-putra Bhishma noticed this issue. He decided to resolve it, and thus the idea of building an orphanage came to him.
Because of the construction of this orphanage, newborn orphans found a home where they could stay for some time.
The first soldier knocked on the door of a room within the orphanage and called out.
"Warden, are you inside?"
"Just wait there, I am coming," a woman's voice replied from inside the room.
A short while later, the door opened, and a beautiful thirty-year-old woman emerged. She was clad in a lovely white saree.
This woman's name was Meera, and she was a widow. Her husband had been a soldier who had fallen in battle.
Because of this, Meera could never become a mother herself. Therefore, she decided to become the warden of the orphanage, and that is how she came to hold this position.
"Tell me, what is the matter? Why did you wish to see me?" Warden Meera asked the reason for their visit, and the first soldier began to explain.
"The thing is, my friend and I went to the banks of the river Ganga to wash our hands. However, we found a child there, placed inside a basket and set adrift in the river."
Saying this, he showed the basket he was holding to Warden Meera.
Warden Meera looked; the child was wrapped in red cloth, and on his forehead was the mark of a half-sun. He was absolutely adorable.
She said, "It is a great tragedy that this child has become an orphan right at birth. Looking at him, it seems as though he belongs to a royal family."
"Of a royal family? Do you mean this child belongs to another kingdom?" The first soldier was surprised.
"Yes," Warden Meera nodded. "I have worked as the warden of this orphanage for many years. Children of all kinds come here. Because of my years of experience, I can easily tell where a child comes from."
"That means this child could have been the prince of some kingdom, but alas, it was not written in his fate," the first soldier surmised and expressed his sorrow.
Warden Meera gave a melancholic smile. "It is not uncommon here. Every year, about a thousand children arrive at this place. Half of them come from the poor, two hundred from middle-class families, and two hundred and fifty from rich families who enter into multiple marriages and discard their weak children to the orphanage. The remaining fifty come from royal lineages—born to kings or princesses who are unmarried, resulting in children like this."
"It is connected so deeply? I had no idea. Anyway, I must leave now; I have to return to my duty. Please take care of this child."
The first soldier was astonished, but he bade farewell and left the place.
Warden Meera picked up the child and gently pinched his adorable face.
My eyes slowly opened; upon waking, I felt a slight pain in my cheek. Did someone just pinch me?
Whatever I tried to say came out as the gurgles of a newborn, for I had not yet learned to speak, nor had my teeth grown in.
I looked at Warden Meera. What? I was on the banks of the river Ganga; how did I end up here? And who is this woman holding me?
When Warden Meera saw my blue eyes, she could not help but be astonished. For the first time in her life, she had seen a child with eyes of such a blue hue.
As soon as I realized that someone had glimpsed my secret, I blinked; instantly, my blue eyes reverted to their normal black color.
"Was that an illusion?" she wondered. "At first, his eyes were blue, but now they are completely normal."
Warden Meera expressed her surprise, but then she smiled, convincing herself that it was merely a trick of her imagination.
Seeing this, I breathed a sigh of relief. I looked around my surroundings and realized that I had arrived at an orphanage.
This is far better than that other fate, I thought. Having parents is a good thing, but being without parents is a million times better.
I am not saying that having parents is wrong. But without parents, you have to work hard for yourself; you won't have anyone's hand supporting you from behind.
Being an orphan involves suffering, but it has its advantages. You don't need to worry about anyone else, you can make your own decisions, you don't have to obey anyone, and once you grow up, you can go wherever you please.
...
I snapped out of my thoughts as I suddenly felt hungry.
Since I cannot speak, how will I tell her? I thought. After thinking it over, I found only one solution. For a twenty-year-old guy, doing this is shameful, but what can I do? For the sake of hunger, it must be done.
I started crying—the universal signal every child uses when they are hungry.
As soon as Warden Meera heard the sound of my weeping, she immediately understood that I was hungry.
She brought a bowl of cow's milk intended for the children and began feeding me with a spoon.
When the first drop entered my mouth, I felt refreshed. Just like that, I drank all the milk in the bowl.
"What a gluttonous child! You finished all the milk in one go."
Warden Meera gave a melancholic smile and pinched my cheek.
Because of the pinch, I glared at her in anger. Seeing my cute, angry face, Warden Meera began to laugh.
I, too, paid her no further mind. Night had fallen.
Being merely an infant, drowsiness began to wash over me once again, and I soon drifted off to sleep.
Seeing this, Warden Meera gently placed me into a cradle and quietly left the room.
To be continued...