The Ranchi orphanage is a very peaceful and happy place. The orphanage is arranged around a front and rear court yard. The larger front courtyard has a large shady tree to one side and smaller shrubs and flowering bushes are planted in garden beds in front of the verandahs. The rear courtyard has clothes lines across it. On the first day we were there the line had several of the sisters distinct sari like habits hanging to dry. If you imagine the orphanage as an "H" only slightly out of proportion, you have a good idea of the layout.
Sister Carmencita was quite a character. Short and dark and round of face, she ran the Shishu Bhavan and was completely at ease with her duty. She was very happy to receive us even though we had arrived after visiting hours, about 11:15am and we sat and talked on the verandah for some time before we went over to see the babies in the shishu bhavan. She was very interested in Neelu's story and and we talked about her for some time and then our attention turned to Ankita and Shayne very delicately brought up some of the questions I have mentioned. Sister Carmencita answered them with a gentle kind of privacy. Not revealing too much, as is there duty, but enough to give Shayne what she needed. And then sister went to get some photos she taken of Ankita while she was in their care. They revealed a whole dimension of her. Neelu had, by now, ran off with a young boy named Rahul. He was excited by the company of an older girl and they went off to cause havoc around the place.
We sat and talked a little more and then walked across to the children. In a large, darkened room( kept so to keep it cool) there were rows of the familiar blue cots filled with babies. All cared for the sisters and some carers who work with sisters. All dedicated and very happy to be there. So we are there looking at the children and talking to the sisters when another sister comes into the room with an obvious limp leaning on a tall stick. She has very familiar smile on her beautiful face. Where do I know that face? And then I place it just as Shayne voices her surprise. We rush to her at once to greet her. She is Sister Mary Francine. When we were last in India three years ago to adopt Neelu, we met sister Mary Francine in Patna. Although she wasn't at the orphanage when Neelu was relinquished there in Patna, she was really very kind and enthusiastic and supportive of us. We spent a lot of time talking with her and walking through the orphanage and hospice. We had struck up a real friendship three years ago and now here she was! We were not expecting to see her in Ranchi. We were looking forward to meeting in Patna in the next couple of days. She was very surprised and happy to see us all.
We spent some time with the children and the sisters while Neelu and Rahul played together. We then went over to the visitors room and had tea and boojha and Indian sweets and we arranged to bring the photo albums we were going to take to Sister Mary Francine in Patna and then, just as the rain was beginning to tumble out of the monsoon clouds, we headed back to our hotel Rahul and Sister Carmencita waving us off. We were very happy and buoyed by the few hours we had spent with the sisters and the children. We looked back as we left and Rahul had already disappeared to cause mischief somewhere in the sanctuary of the Shishu Bhavan.
