MEERUT, OCT 10: Their parents and grand parents are alive and doing fairly well in life. Yet, Sonia (13) and Rashi (12) find themselves breaking bread in the company of girls at the State Women's Destitute Home.Both are victims of broken homes, pawns in the games adults play. Their parents are divorced and they have been dumped to live the lives of orphans.The children are the grand-daughters of vaid and social worker Chandra Shekhar Gaur, former principal of Sri Mastnath Ayurveda Degree College in Rohtak and a member of the Central Council of Indian Medicine appointed by the Union Government. The family owns a pharmacy in Rohtak, says maternal uncle Deepak Sharma.After the divorce, the children were handed over to their father but he refused to bring them up. According to District Probation Officer M.L. Sahu, aunt Asha Rani Dwivedi adopted the girls, only to send them to the destitutes' home. She said she had her three children to take care of and feared that the girls would be taken away by uncle Deepak.The irony is that Sonia and Rashi want to live with her. The parents - who have remarried - have no interest in them. Neither do the girls want to go back to their father.Chandrawati, superintendent of the destitutes' home, says that Rashi and Sonia dread living with both their father or uncle as they used to get drunk and beat them up. Their father allegedly used to send them to buy liquor from the nearby vends.``We enjoyed our short stay with our aunt, but couldn't adjust with our cousin Chottu,'' says Rashi, breaking into tears. Sonia maintains a stoic silence, speaking only in monosyllables.The memories of some of the rare good moments refuse to fade - like one of those rare rides to a temple during Shivratri in their father's car. Resigned to their fate now, Rashi and Sonia are trying to adjust to their new surroundings. But it's not easy. They have been unable to make friends at their new home.Chandrawati says: ``Knowing that they come from well-off homes and are feeling lost, we are trying our best to make them comfortable.'' After studying in a prestigious city school, Rashi is now continuing her education in the school run within the orphanage. Sonia has been admitted to a Hindi-medium school in the city. With an uncertain future ahead, the two are attending sewing classes. Sahu says the 82-year-old grandfather had rather reluctantly agreed to take responsibility, but the girls refused to go with him. After Asha Rani sent them to the destitutes' home, uncle Deepak filed a complaint with the authorities, alleging that the aunt wanted to deprive the girls of their share in the property.When the authorities wanted to meet the family, the parents did not bother to come. The grandfather argued that the girls couldn't live with the father as he had two children from his second marriage. Sahu says the parties concerned would be summoned once again to decide the fate of the children.In view of the ongoing wranglings in the family, restrictions have been put on the aunt's visit. Asha Rani has been asked to seek permission before meeting the children, says Chandrawati.
