Jammu: Nine-year-old Mushrat Ali Shah had never seen a train before, but on Monday he came face to face with one that will transport him to Mumbai.
Mushrat, along with 500 other children, who lost their families in the October 8 earthquake, are getting a new home. The children will leave for Maharashtra where they will stay for the next 10 years.
The Pune-based Bharatiya Jain Sanghatana, an Indian NGO specialises in disaster management, is sponsoring their stay in Maharashtra.
The children will live in hostels in Maharashtra where they will study and train in various professions for 10 years.
Predictably, the children are excited and are on their way to Mumbai with high expectations.
Mushrat Ali Shah says, "I want to buy a cricket bat, watch movies on CDs and live in a houseboat. I will learn everything that they teach me so that I can go back home and make my own house."
Other children agree with Mushrat?s sentiments. Most want to go home after they finish their studies but there are other desires too. Some kids want to fly in planes while still others want to meet Shah Rukh Khan.
The dreams and aspirations may be small but what is clear is that the children have put the horror of the earthquake behind them and are moving on with the hope that they will be able to build a better future for themselves.
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