It was a boring Monday afternoon. There was nothing good on TV, all idiotic soaps were being telecasted. I sat on my couch with cushions on either side to make myself more comfortable. I wondered if I had bunked college just to get bored through the afternoon as I kept switching the channels. There was a debate on one of the channels regarding unemployment.
I couldn't hear things properly as there was some drainage channel reconstruction going on in my street. I increased the volume as a participant in the debate said " There are still 10.7% people unemployed in India. "
I heard a faint voice outside my door shouting " Anna ! Anna !! ". I switched the TV off and opened my french window to see who it was. There was a small boy around 12 yrs of age with a torn T-shirt and half pants covered with dirt and mud all over him. His knees were scrapped and he had a small cloth over his head like a militant.
I went near him and he said " Anna , thanni anna !! ", handing me a bottle. I asked him to wait him in the shade and came back with the bottle of water. He drank some and ran away to hand it over to the other workers in the construction. I could see many small children, probably not even 14 working hard in the scorching sun. I was disheartened to see such a mile's difference in the lives of people of almost the same age group. I ran into my house with a heavy heart to see as to what sort of a life, I led. Just moments back, I was sitting in a comfortable recliner, with a 36" samsung LCD infront of me and an AC to keep me away from the heat. And there were those kids with no time to sit, earning their bread at the cost of their precious childhood and schooling. It was like heaven and hell kept just 100m away. What a disgrace !
Then I remembered the debate and that 10.7% unemployment thing. If we have those many people unemployed, then why do these children ever work ?
We discuss about the BlackBerry service in India, the Nuclear liability Bill and so on over the air, but still the basic educational needs of a child remains unfulfilled. These children don't care if the MPs get their hike or not nor if the whole cricketing world is in a shock of
" spot-fixing ". All that these kids are concerned is about getting atleast one square meal a day and something to cover their body.
Why would someone care to quench his thirst for knowledge when he can't eat to just survive ?
People say today's children are the future of India. But a depressing fact is that the future of India is still serving as labourers.
Every child is special. Just that so often one is deprived of the opportunity to even realize his potentials . . . Oh yes ! Child labour has been completely eradicated in India !! If this statement is not true, LETS . . . . . .
