ELI Africa- 15.12.11
Today, I have visited one of the loveliest places of our small little island. It’s not a big or even small museum. Nor is it a park or a garden. Yet, it is the most beautiful of them all. What’s there is nowhere else. Believe me, it’s tough to reach there. It’s a problem if you’ve never ever driven in the North, and it is worse when you actually know nothing of the North!!! But you are so over-whelmed when you get there that you can soon enough forget everything.
Two charming young ladies, who very patiently direct you to the exact location, wait for you at the door and in the most welcoming way ever guide you in. And mind you, if you are a fan of warm welcomes, a bigger welcome awaits you inside!!! The irresistible chitter chatter and smiles of the kids are over-whelming. They make the welcome warmer and more wonderful. You cannot ever regret or forget this visit. The lovely pleasant ambience that prevails remains irresistible. But then, what’s this place??
It’s just a somewhere where kids are taken care of, though it is neither a nursery nor a kindergarten nor a school. It’s a learning centre! It’s a place where one young Mauritian dreamed and believed in his vision. It’s where kids who made this place theirs are ultimately busy making it that of other kids. Everyone works with and for one another such that it seems that they do not need anyone anymore. Everything and everyone is selfless.
It is theirs! That’s the beauty of the centre. They learn here. They share here. They love here. They care here. And everything there is theirs. The fish are theirs, the turtles and their names are theirs, and the garden is theirs too. The centre’s simply theirs. They decorate it in the most exquisite and exclusive way. Their decorations are just as unique as their imagination and creativity. Everything is just about them and theirs.
You also pick out a little figure who is there giving the most of her time to kids who want nothing more than some attention and who deserve just all our love and care. The same language, she shares not with them, but that has never ever been a problem! They speak to her in Creole and she perfectly understands them. They beautifully manage to communicate with one another. And what’s really interesting about this lovely lady is that she makes a beautiful and unique blend of her perfect British English and broken Creole for their sake. You would definitely want to thank her for her time and devotion to the kids, but then, definitely saying thanks might not be enough.
Well, maybe then, Vedant Seeam whose vision was and is ELI Africa, also deserves a big thanks for being such a wonderful person and for giving so many people opportunity and space to smile. It is theirs because finally he is the one who is theirs!!!
Best Wishes and Love to all,
Neha