Being called “Katti”by her friends and school mates, Manisha was shy playing or being amongst other children, not because she did not wish to, but because she could not SMILE or Laugh!
Manisha of Lohar Tikri Village, Renuka (Himachal Pradesh) had spent most of her childhood indoor, not that there were not enough children to be friends with or there was no one playing outside. Life in the hills, especially childhood, in fact, is more close to nature, wherein children enjoy the beauty & colors of nature more closely than any of us in our wishes or dreams.
But this was not the case with innocent Manisha, she preferred to remain indoors, voluntarily serving & helping her Rural parents, keeping herself indulged into household works i.e. from gathering wood for fuelto doing utensils or other such activities that would keep her isolated from the rest of the world.
Unlike other kids of her age, she grew into prime years of her childhood, only to become more conscious & losing confidence in herself.
Her problem was not something that other kids or anyone else around could empathize about; her fault, her inability, was a gift that nature provided her at birth. Manisha was born with a congenital deformity on her face known as Cleft-Lip problem, caused by abnormal facial development during gestation, a defect that 1 in every 700 infants is born with.
Fortunately, the natural defect has a medical cure through surgery, but sadly majority of such cases remain at disadvantage either due to financial constraints of the parents or inaccessibility to treatment facilities or both.
Luckily, one such case, of Manisha was identified in one of the FREE Medical Camps at Akal Charitable Hospital, Baru Sahib that was being observed 85 kmsfrom her village, where the volunteers of theorganizing charitable institution, The Kalgidhar Trust learned about the young Manisha through other patients who visited the medical camp.
She, because of her problem, was widely known in her village, so, our team decided to find-visit her at her home to register case for Free Surgery Treatment under our special surgery camps that see volunteer medical specialists & experts from India & Abroad.
With God’s grace & generous efforts put in by the medical experts during the charitable drive, the Manisha’s surgery was successfully completed, for her graceful smile was restored for the rest of her life, bringing the joy of childhood to her life that she now only could begin to experience after 9 years of living in isolation.
Manisha is now able to look into mirrors, happily as she adores & smiles looking at the ‘new her’ she never knew before. They say smile is the only natural expression of hope one can realize by oneself whilst looking into a mirror.
Going by the given scientific estimate, several children across the globe are getting deprived not only from their childhood, but from leading a normal life, a life that has expression of Smile missing from it.
Like Manisha, you too can be a reason for someone’s smile for a lifetime, the most noble & lasting thing money can buy.
Be a part of https://educatetosave.com/ to help kids like Manisha, who are waiting for miracles to happen!
~ Ramandeep Singh
~ New Delhi, 24th Sep '13
