Working magic in their lives

“Of course, I’m fearless,” says 11-year-old Nirbhay Someshwar, when you ask him about his name. Someshwar, who was diagnosed with a life-threatening ailment in January last year, is indeed an unusually brave child. In the past year, he underwent a major surgery and 12 sessions of chemotherapy.

Nirbhay’s illness has left his middle class family cash-strapped (money comes in through door-to-door selling of perfumes and incense sticks). And Nirbhay is aware of this. “He always underplays his pain. And never asks for anything,” says his mother Kirti.

So, when volunteers from Make-A-Wish Foundation approached Nirbhay asking him to name his three wishes, the first thing that Nirbhay wanted to know was if he would have to pay for it. Once he was sure that it was a gift, he shyly asked for a computer. “I want to become a pilot, and will be able to do it only if I learn to operate a computer,” explains Nirbhay.  The little boy, who got his wish fulfilled on his eleventh birthday, on July 26, 2006, has already mastered Microsoft Word, Powerpoint, Excel, and can write CDs and download music and movies.

Nirbhay is one of the 1,000-odd kids in the age group of 3 to 18 years, who get their wish fulfilled by Make-A-Wish Foundation. Volunteers from Make-A-Wish Foundation in seven other cities — Delhi, Hyderabad, Goa, Coimbatore, Jaipur Ahmedabad — together fulfil over 2,500 wishes every year.

“We work with many hospitals and charity organisations who put us in touch with kids,” says Nehal Parekh, national co-ordinator of the foundation. He spoke to DNA on the eve of Make-A-Wish Day, which will be observed today. Volunteers have to go through three days of comprehensive training to understand how to approach a child and also have to spend several hours every day at various hospitals interacting with them, before finally asking them for their wish. “Sometimes, it takes many weeks to get a child to relax and confide in us,” says Parekh.

The wishes are all kinds. Chetan Kholam, 8, wanted a shiny new toy train and movie-buff Vikrant Solanki, 10, wanted a new CD player. There are many unusual wishes. “There was a girl who asked for an Aquaguard for her home,” recalls Moiez Ajmerwala, programme co-ordinator, Make-A-Wish, Mumbai. “The reason, as we found out later, was her illness which made her consume a lot of water. And her mother had to constantly collect, boil and store water, which was not easily available in their house.” Another 15-year-old, Rahul Phulora, wanted to meet the renowned astrophysicist Dr Jayant Narlikar in Pune, while a 17-year-old afflicted with a life-threatening condition wanted a set of books — course material for a medical entrance exam.

The wishes are classified into four categories by the organisation — to have, to be, to go and to meet. “Wishes like wanting a computer, a CD player, a doll, toys, etc, fall under the ‘to have’ category, while wanting to be a policeman, doctor or a pilot for a day fall under the ‘to be’ category,” explains Ajmerwala. Wanting to go to the Taj Mahal, Vaishno Devi, or to experience snowfall for the first time top the ‘to go’ category. And personalities like Sachin Tendulkar and Preity Zinta top the ‘to meet’ category. “We try to make it memorable for every child who gets a wish fulfilled,” said Parekh.