meaning of life

Mohini was busy with the children when Shreya first saw her, she was born and brought up in another branch of the orphanage and joined this branch as office assistant.

She observed that Mohini was a regular visitor on Sundays and most of the holidays. The orphanage was for special children, they were severely autistic, children who were barely in control of their limbs. They were dumped by their parents, who either were embarrassed by their existence or too poor to look after these completely helpless children, hence they were being brought up in the orphanage with lots of care, because the main fund raisers were European or American.

Soon she became close friend of Mohini, even though Mohini was lot senior than her but the friendship blossomed because of similarity in nature. She came to know very little about Mohini because she was a very reserved person. All she gathered was she was unmarried, lived alone, worked in Railways as a clerk. Mohini doted after the children, the thing which surprised Shreya was why was she not married, she might have had her own children.

A few months later Shreya hesitatingly asked her why she has not married, she might have done it even after having her own children. Mohini told her that she belonged to a very poor tribal family, which lived miles away from Asansol. She struggled a lot in the school and college day but could only complete the graduation, without good percentage.

Her parents were very poor and she was the only girl in her village to complete graduation, hence all the marriage proposals she got were from towns and their demand for dowry was huge. One thing which she was dead against.

Then slowly months turned to years and she concentrated on her career, first she worked in a private concern and then a few years ago she got this railway job. And her life changed ever since. She has been flooded with marriage proposals, she cant have her own children at the age of forty, so she made up her mind for giving her affection to the children who really needed it and enjoy her independent life, because with age her interest in marriage has completely gone.

She came to know about this orphanage by accident and started to visit these children because they somehow filled up a gap in her heart.