Happy Reunion

Struggle as they did, there were not enough hours to work for Karthik’s parents to put enough food on the table for Karthik and his 6 brothers and sisters. It came to a point where the decision was made, Karthik at the age of 9 would have to leave school and begin working to help out the family. Poverty often finds a way to stamp out dreams for young boys and girls.So at a time when children Karthik’s age were playing cricket dreaming they would become the next sports hero, Karthik went to work at a small garment shop working long hours.  It only became worse when a year later, his parents sold him to the owner of the garment shop for one year’s work in order to pay for the marriage of their oldest daughter.His days would begin at 3 am and end at midnight, day and night, he toiled, cleaning the owner’s home, filling the water tanks, then running over to the store and moving inventory.  Often the owner would forget to feed Karthik and he would go hungry for a whole day. To find some way to get much needed sleep, Karthik would make excuses to go to the bathroom and shut his eyes for a few minutes while sitting on the toilet. Not much time to dream when you can’t sleep.The long hours, the lack of sleep, the hungry days and nights, and most of all, the feeling of being alone and not loved left Karthik with no choice but to run and to run far. For him, there was no reason to stay back, his parents sold him like a commodity and his owner saw him only as commodity. He made a plan, not much of a plan, but a plan nonetheless. He woke up at 3am as was the case everyday, cleaned the house, filled the tanks, and then went to the shop. But this morning, he mustered up all the courage he had and went to the cash box and grabbed the money that was in there, a fortune of almost $50, he then grabbed a stock of clothing that was waiting to be put on the store shelves. With $50 and a stock of clothing, he made his escape. Karthik ran to the train station and purchased a one -way ticket to the city of dreams, Mumbai. Born and brought up in the southern city of Bangalore, he had often heard stories of the rich and famous Bollywood stars that lived in Mumbai.  After two nights of journeying, he got off at the last stop, CST station in Bombay city.Karthik did learn one thing during his time of indentured service, how to sell clothes. So without knowing the local language of Hindi or Marathi, he still managed to sell all the clothes be brought with him for $150.  He now had a fortune that he had never known before, so for a week, Karthik lived like a king (not the kind of King we dream of but the kind of king for a boy that has not dreamed). Karthik went to the food stalls that were emoting the savory aromas of spices that he remembered smelling off the plates of food that his owner and his family would dine on. Karthik ordered a plate of butter chicken, parathas (stuffed bread), and a large glass of sweet and salty fresh lime soda. With his belly full, he went to the local garment shop and purchased clothes that he once used to hand over to customers. This went for a full week until one morning, Karthik reached into the pockets of his new jeans and found just a few cents.  This life of the King had ended and the pauper was born. He soon found a band of brothers that found their life in the streets, they taught him how to beg, sell plastics, and to fill empty bottles with water and sell it to the public.  Two grueling months went by and Karthik found himself in the same despair as before. At ten, he felt the despair and grief of one that has lived many more seasons.When the final semblances of hope was finding its way out of Karthik’s soul, he happened to come upon the BTC feeding van. Seeing that the folks from this van were offering food for free, Karthik went to get a much needed meal. As Karthik went to receive his plate, the one handing him the plate began speaking with him. Karthik didn’t know at the time but this conversation would change the course of his life. He was invited to come and be a part of Bombay Teen Challenge. There was one thing that rung in his ear, the BTC staff member told him that BTC would give him a chance to get an education. He knew this only as a luxury for the rich like his owners children, not something for poor thieves like Karthik.That was six years ago and the manner in which the very trajectory of his life has changed since that moment when he was first handed a plate by a BTC member can only be described as amazing. Karthik realized that he was a pretty good student; he caught up for the years he missed in school and is now in the 12^th grade; he also learned how to play a few instruments and was selected to go on a cultural exchange program to the United States not once but twice. In the process, he came to find out that he was loved, not just by anyone but by the King of Kings. He is growing in his faith loving others and wanting to serve others.In order to get his passport, he had to travel back to Bangalore and in the process, found his family. What a reunion it was, they found the son they had thought they had lost forever. And they listened with tears of sadness and joy of the journey he had been on. They asked him to stay back but Karthik couldn’t for he had just begun dreaming. Friends, the work of Bombay Teen Challenge continues to move forward because of generous partnerships. Would you consider partnering with us today? Here's how,

Written by Tom Varghese