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By Ranee Mohamed in Trincomalee

"I try my best not to get involved with these 21 children. I try not to be a father figure to them," said Ven. K. Pannatissa Thero who runs the Revata Children's Home in Trincomalee with his monthly income - an allowance he gets for teaching other poor students. The Buddhist priest is a teacher at a nearby school. Besides the robes he dons, there is nothing to call his own, that is because he has sacrificed them all - his time, his belongings and the little money that he gets to the welfare of 21 orphans living on the borderline of poverty, want and hardship.

"These children have no one. And most of the time we catch them crying in corners. Then we hug them and cuddle them and talk to them gently and the pain of being alone is momentarily forgotten," said caretaker Swarna. Udeni and Swarna are resident caretakers. They are poor women who could do with a good meal themselves. But for them this is a sacrifice, it is more than mere employment, for these orphans call them 'mother.'

Resigned to fate

"I am sad. I am puzzled. But most of the time, I try not to ask any questions from myself," said little Sajith. In a corner stands young Anuradha who recently blossomed into womanhood. "I have no one. I do not ask for anything more - the safety and the security of this place is enough for me," she said. "We could not get her any jewellery - just a little kiribath," said a caretaker, as the girl looked on innocently.

So many children and two or three mothers. Walk inside and one is filled with a sense of discomfort. There are no luxuries let alone necessities. There are beds given to them by the Sri Lanka Navy. "These children love to eat short-eats. They love fruits too. This is why they look forward to alms from the nearby Trincomalee Navy Base," said Swarna.

The children were now putting their thin hands up. They all wanted to go to the zoo. "We have never gone to the zoo, we have heard of it. We want to go to the Galle Face Green and the sea beach," they chorused. Then one of them wanted a bicycle and about 10 of them begged for bicycles. A little boy who could not hear walked up and mumbled that he wants a bicycle too. Another wanted a car that runs on remote control, another wanted an organ, still others wanted toys. A little girl not to be outdone by the boys, wanted a bicycle too. A boy wearing a dirty old shirt wanted a train and a railway - there was a deep sadness in his eyes and his destination in life, one could never imagine.

Deeply religious

But what strikes one deeply at this Lama Nivasa is the deep religious feelings instilled in them. They stoop down to worship and reach out to each other with a sense of compassion that cannot be expected of orphans who ought to be bitter about the trials and troubles that life has laid on their path - what life has given to them. But here there is no bitterness, only simple love, caring and compassion for each other - feelings instilled by their leader, the Ven. Pannatissa Thero.

"I try my best to give them proper meals. I try to give them cereals, grains and milk in the morning. Rs.10 per child per day is paid by the authorities and that too is given at the end of the year. I am determined to help these children through life," said the priest.

But there are times when this determination may tend to crumble, like the day a child fell down and was injured in the head. "It was about 3 a.m. and we did not know what to do as we do not have a vehicle to take them to hospital. We had to wait till the next morning and contact the nearby navy base and rush the child to hospital," said the priest.

The home does not have a vehicle and sick children are taken to hospital by bus, their provisions bought by bus and all other errands are done using the public transport service. It was plain to see that this place needed a vehicle. So many undernourished children, so many meals to cook, with a priest at the helm of affairs, without any form of transport - it was a hard life for everybody here.

So much food around, but these thin, hungry orphans were starving - waiting for their next small meal. "We love to eat chocolates, biscuits and fruits," they now spoke out without being coy. "We have seen pictures of the good things in Colombo, but we know that we will never be able to see them," they said quietly.

Wearing old tattered clothes, these thin, hungry children could pull at the heart strings of anyone, but the problem here is that no one ever visits them. Driving through the main Trincomalee road perhaps on a weekend out with bed, breakfast and buffet lunch, no one would want to stop at this poor home for orphans at Pahe Kanuwa (5th mile post, Nuwara Road, China Bay) on the way to Trincomalee.

One look at the children of the Revata Children's Home is enough to sculptor in one's mind the poverty and want that are confined to the walls of this home. The scraggy children - their puny bodies and sad eyes are realities that will haunt anyone through his journey through life.  

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