Power of Love

PUSHPA BASNET

Twenty-five year old Pushpa Basnet is unmarried, but today she is the guardian of more than 40 children. Her youth suggests play, fun, and travel. This lady who comes from a relatively well-off family and who appears to be happy-go-lucky is actually the ocean of motherly love for these 40 children. Pushpa has opened a child care center to educate and look after the children whose parents are in prison. She believes in offering love, compassion, and selfness service.

Power of Love

One day a four-year-old girl living in a children’s home in Maharajgunj in Kathmandu said, “I want to be like my mommy when I grow up.” I was lost in my thoughts, wondering how the idea of becoming a ‘mommy’ sprouted in her little mind instead of becoming a doctor or a pilot.

As I pondered this little girl’s wish, I realized that the love I was sharing with 19 other children has inspired her to say that she wanted to be like me. It is a pure and compassion love. Deep inside, I was happy to know these children understood the meaning of love, just like me. A doctor may heal a wound, a pilot may fly us across the skies, but a mother’s love moulds the entire life of children. That is why I believe in the power of love and compassion.

A single incident sparked my passion to become a ‘mother’ to these children. One day during a field visit to a women’s prison form my college in Kathmandu, I was shocked to find somebody pulling on my clothes. I turned and saw a little girl called Sanukanchi smiling at me, her hands clutching my shirt. I remember thinking. “My goodness, a child in prison?” I saw in her eyes a deep piercing look that seemed to say, “Release me from here. How can I grow breathing prison air?”

After that emotional encounter, I have been showering motherly love and taking care of children whose parents are serving prinson sentences. All the children call me Pushpa mommy. Sometimes people give me a surprised look when they hear that. When I hear it, my heart fills with joy.

I may be their Pushpa mommy, but I am not their biological mother, I want to make sure these children are not distanced from their parents behind bars. I take them to meet their parents once every month. Tears flood my eyes when I see them clinging to their parents. If I were Einstein, I probably would prove that a mother’s love is as powerful as light.

I am thoroughly engaged in the care of these children and work with spirit every month to look after them. There are different children with different kinds of parenting needs who require different ways of care and love. The ocean of love and care never runs dry; the more you give the more it gets filled. Interesting as it is, a large portion of the cost of running this child care center is supported by my own mother from her personal accounts. Also, some generous individuals give donations.

       Though I need not worry for my living, I wonder how I can generate sustainable resources to bring up these children. Somebody told me once, “You may not ask for yourself, but God comes to the rescue when you ask for others.” Maybe I have the power of love and the message is getting through. I believe in the power of love.