A CHILDHOOD DISCARDED (11/03/2016)
Every morning, as I walk across the by-lane to reach
the main road to take the chartered bus to my office, two children, among
scores of school going children, draw my attention. Dressed in seconds (i.e.
uniform, shoes and school bags discarded by children of affluent families of
the societies nearby where their mother works as a maid) they walk down their school
enthusiastically, full of confidence and zest. The elder one is a girl child
approximately 8-9 years old and the younger one, probably her brother, is a 5
years old boy. While most children avail the luxury of a school bus,
taxi or even van, some of which are air-conditioned, to reach their school,
these two children walk down to their school nearby. I closely observe them every day. I do not find any streak of dissatisfaction on their face- they
do not appear to question why they are not entitled to a good school or a
spotless uniform and shoes or the luxury of a school bus like other school
going children of their age. I do not find them
complaining their fate- far from it- they appear quite happy and satisfied- satisfied
at the fact that they are still better off than hordes of children who do not
have the privilege to even attend school and who I find loitering on the
pavements while their mothers work as domestic help in apartments nearby and
their fathers pull rickshaws. These groups survive on food brought by mothers-
stale food of the previous night discarded by households where they work as
menial worker. It’s really painful that the nation has failed in
providing a respectable livelihood to each of its citizen even after about 70 years of
independence. But I see hope in the eyes of those two school going children who, I find,
are fighting a lone battle to change their fate and rewrite their future. They
exhibit resilience not found even in adults. The nation needs to respond to
basic requirements of such children if it aims to control juvenile
crimes. Education has the strength to bring about revolutionary social change
and hence the nation must ensure good education for each child, irrespective of
his family of birth, in order to bridge the gap between rich and poor. If a
nation takes care of this basic need of its citizens, the progress of a nation
will take care of itself.
Every morning, as I walk across the by-lane to reach
the main road to take the chartered bus to my office, two children, among
scores of school going children, draw my attention. Dressed in seconds (i.e.
uniform, shoes and school bags discarded by children of affluent families of
the societies nearby where their mother works as a maid) they walk down their school
enthusiastically, full of confidence and zest. The elder one is a girl child
approximately 8-9 years old and the younger one, probably her brother, is a 5
years old boy. While most children avail the luxury of a school bus,
taxi or even van, some of which are air-conditioned, to reach their school,
these two children walk down to their school nearby. I closely observe them every day. I do not find any streak of dissatisfaction on their face- they
do not appear to question why they are not entitled to a good school or a
spotless uniform and shoes or the luxury of a school bus like other school
going children of their age. I do not find them
complaining their fate- far from it- they appear quite happy and satisfied- satisfied
at the fact that they are still better off than hordes of children who do not
have the privilege to even attend school and who I find loitering on the
pavements while their mothers work as domestic help in apartments nearby and
their fathers pull rickshaws. These groups survive on food brought by mothers-
stale food of the previous night discarded by households where they work as
menial worker. It’s really painful that the nation has failed in
providing a respectable livelihood to each of its citizen even after about 70 years of
independence. But I see hope in the eyes of those two school going children who, I find,
are fighting a lone battle to change their fate and rewrite their future. They
exhibit resilience not found even in adults. The nation needs to respond to
basic requirements of such children if it aims to control juvenile
crimes. Education has the strength to bring about revolutionary social change
and hence the nation must ensure good education for each child, irrespective of
his family of birth, in order to bridge the gap between rich and poor. If a
nation takes care of this basic need of its citizens, the progress of a nation
will take care of itself.
Bhagwan sabko
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