Every Sunday at 2:00 PM, Robin Hood Army East Delhi Chapter goes out to distribute food. We have never taken a break.
But one Sunday, we were busy with an event planned to celebrate the chapter’s 10th anniversary. Because of it, the distribution got delayed, and I later found out that no one had gone to distribute food yet.
The moment I found out, I took two volunteers, picked up the freshly cooked veg biryani, and headed for the distribution point.
As we were about to reach, I saw something from inside the car that I will probably never forget.
The children were standing on the main road with their plates and bowls in their hands, waiting for us.
The moment I opened the car door, they shouted,
“Sunday waale bhaiya aa gaye!”
Everyone rushed to the main distribution point, formed a line, and there were smiles all around.
That day, I understood something. For us, it might be just a food drive. For them, it is much more than that.
When I got back home, my own childhood memories came rushing back.
As children, we look up to the elders around us. We remember the people who spent time with us, who brought things for us, who were kind to us. Years later, when we meet them again, those old memories return, and we feel the same joy all over again. That is why some people hold a special place in our hearts forever.
And then it struck me.
We go there every Sunday, but we don’t necessarily remember each child’s face. For us, it is part of our Sunday routine. But for them, we are familiar faces. They recognize us, and they get excited because they know we have brought something for them.
Just like we carry memories of the people from our childhood, these children will grow up carrying their own. We may forget their names and faces, or remember these Sundays only as glimpses. But for them, these afternoons are a part of their childhood.
And perhaps, years from now, when they look back, they will remember that there were people who came every Sunday afternoon to feed them.
Just like some people from our childhood will always have a special place in our hearts, we might unknowingly be creating that same place for ourselves in theirs.