Does this look like an orphanage?

It is, but they'd rather call themselves a family. The students at Udyan go to the top schools in town and live a life that few kids without parents can think of

Your kid would most probably envy the young residents of Udyan. The 150 inmates of this privileged orphanage study in renowned schools like Sanskriti, D.P.S., Tagore Internationalu00a0 School and enjoying more than a basic living. Their rooms are luxurious, their lifestyle lavish, so what if they don't know who their blood parents are.u00a0



The orphan care organization came in to being in 1994 as an NGO, and has been working since the last 16 years for the upliftment of their inhabitants. ''It's like a family where every one is connected with every one", says Dr Kiran Modi, director. Before the registration of Udyan Care, Dr Modi finished her PhD in American literature and ran a newspaper called 'Neighborhood' in south Delhi.

It was after the death of her son Udyan in an accident in the US that the initiative came alive. His memories in her mind led her into making the lives of the not-so-blessed paint their lives and find ways to make life more meaningful.u00a0

There are 10 Udyan care homes around the capital, out of which four are in Delhi, two in Noida, one in Greater Noida, one in Kurukshetra and one recently opened its doors in Jaipur. The kids come here through the Child Welfare Committee (CWC), and each branch houses and brings up 15 kids with one caretaker. An interesting feature of living here is that they all use the same surname to raise the feeling of oneness, and avoid discrimination in the name of caste and religion. The surname is Udyan.

Last year, Pratibha Udyan of their Sant Nagar school passed her 12th class board examinations from Sanskriti School with a good percentage. She first came here when she was only 6, and now she is a fine lady of 19, stylish and ready to make a career in fine arts. Like Pratibha, Pinki Udyan is pursuing a career in aviation and wants to become an air hostess.u00a0

The familial features don't stop here. Every Udyan care house has one maternal mother and one maternal father, who come regularly to meet their foster children. They celebrate most festivals together, gifts et al. So no TZP style boarding boredom or loneliness.u00a0u00a0

Dr Kiran Modi meets the kids once a week to keep in touch and garner feedback. Many private donors and corporate houses are helping the cause keep up. Apart from regular school education, the children here receive global education from volunteers who hail from all over the world. The inmates speak English fluently. "It's a very different experience for me, but I enjoy the company of these kids", says Tulip, an Australian volunteer
who imparts lessons in photography.u00a0

Apart from care houses, there is one more programme, called the Udyan Shalini Fellowship. The aim of this programme is to empower young girls from disadvantaged families.

But how alright is it to treat otherwise orphans like princes and princesses? Will they be able to face the real world and their own reality? "It is a healthy move on the part of this NGO to pamper them so generously so as to not make them feel left out. Children here don't feel deprived, and not having an inferiority complex helps build better citizens", assures Syed Wajid Ali, educational counselor.
Log on to: https://indipepal.com,u00a0www.udayancare.org