KOCHI: As the breeze turns the page over to herald illustrious May, the calendar whispers of lives lost in the service of others. A searching hand traces the dates in blue and stops at numbers emblazoned in red. Few lingering moments spent at the square of May 1, the fingers journey forward to find a stronger reason to abstain from a day’s work. In those seconds, many deny themselves the luxury of a holiday for their source of happiness lies in smoothening the wrinkles of sorrow and suffering or helping a soul script a better story of his tomorrow. Theirs is a calling with a spirit of its own and it keeps them striving, even if the world stops to collect itself.While May 1 finds work stations clothed in silence, NGOs and social work centres resound with laughter and gleeful banter as a certain cat chases a willy mouse on the telly in the background. Volunteers and community workers put in more hours of service at these centres, celebrating Labour Day in the best way they knew was possible.Literally making a difference by securing futures for children through the power of the alphabet is Jithin C Nedumala, CEO, Make A Difference (MAD), an initiative that was conceived on the shores of Kochi. Talking of his work, he dwells, “ I believe the good thing about my job is that it is something I am passionate about, it gets me out of the bed every day morning and at the end of the day I know my work has made a difference.”About the true essence of labour, he relates, “Unfortunately for the majority of Indians today, work is still something unpleasant they have to spend 70% of their waking hours doing so that they can afford to live a happy life in the rest of the 30%. From this perspective I am able to understand the rationale of labour day better and why it is celebrated by organising protests for less working hours and more holidays. But in my opinion Labour Day would become truly meaningful when we dare to make our passion our work because then we would celebrate labour day by celebrating the work we do and not by asking for less of it.”At the helm of Cultural Academy for Peace (CAP) since its inception 25 years ago, Beena Sebastian speaks of volunteer service as a profession that is governed by a loving heart and a helping hand above all. “As an organisation that resolves issues concerning women and children, we work round the clock to ensure that a plea for help does not go unheard. Emotional first aid is our priority and we take great pride in being part of a community that touches fragile lives and helps reintegrate them into the society. Abuses, slander, threats, character assassination are all part of the bargain but these pale in comparison to the lives we’ve put back on track. Though my fellow-workers will rest on Labour Day, I will be doing what I believe I was called for, “ she maintains.Meanwhile, in an inconspicuous alley in the city, Sr. Juliet tends to ‘her people’, as she calls them, and is content caring for the lepers and the orphaned. Reluctantly, she agrees to say a few words while asserting that her home’s name was not to be splattered across papers, “I am doing what I can for the abandoned and I prefer doing it silently. My work is painful but it is not greater than the pain of the neglected. People are entitled to take a break from their work and the world’s concerns do not bother me. For me, my work is holy indeed.” While these messiahs in plain clothes go about their way by instilling faith in hearts wounded by things base and vile, calendars pay a silent testimony to the blessing of service.In the distance, a telephone rings at the Maithri Suicidal Helpline and a caring voice answers, “Hello...Can I help you..”
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