Sealdah

Sealdah today was so much fun!
We gave out toothbrushes and toothpaste when we went to wash the kids' hands and faces. They were so excited. Something which we take completely for granted in the US was so exciting and special to these children. Imagine not being able to afford a tooth brush. Many people in America can't afford to visit the dentist, but everyone brushes their teeth. We told the kids to bring their tooth brush with them every Saturday and Sunday morning, and we'll give them tooth paste to brush with. Its not possible to distribute tubes of toothpaste to them every week. But this way they can brush with water (still exponentially better than not brushing) on the days we aren't there, and they can brush with toothpaste on the days we are there.
We gave out the usual Sunday morning milk, cereal and biscuits this morning (on friday we give chapatti -think tortilla- and potato curry, and on Saturday we give hard boiled eggs and cheese and biscuit sandwiches). For the past few Sundays, we've been bringing jump ropes for the kids to play with. They absolutely love it.
There is a little boy whose parents are both dead. He is only 10 and he lives all alone at the station. I don't know where he gets his food. He wears a shirt which is absolutely huge on him. Today we brought him a shirt which is actually his size. It has red and white stripes, with a white collar. He was so excited when we gave it to him. He ran away to go change (its amazing that he maintains modesty in his situation. So many of the kids at Sealdah run around completely naked) and came back strutting. He was so overjoyed. It was heartbreaking, but everything about Sealdah is. Later, I saw him hiding his old shirt behind a fence in the station. This is not an uncommon occurrence. We arrive very early in the morning, and I've often seen people roll up the tarps and blankets they sleep on, and throw them onto a roof for safekeeping during the day. They don't have one square foot of space which is actually theirs.

~m