We, the people of a stable financial
standing often notice those who are far less fortunate than us. We see them
everywhere, at least here in India, where the number of poor people far
outnumbers the population of some small countries.
We noticed them as kids, understood the
bitter facts of life and even felt sorry for them. But then we kept seeing them
every time we left the house, every time we drove down the road and every time
we went to a place of worship. We saw them so often that some of us have got used
to them, we feel that they are just part of the background now and they are
here to stay.
Have we ever spent a moment in thought of
those kids who are born in abject poverty? Yes, we have seen them at crossroads
and fairs selling stuff like balloons and stickers and candy; but have we
really noticed them?
We see people with healthy bodies begging,
we see these people asking for money in the name of God, but do we really see
the children? Not the children who are made to beg, but those who enterprise to
earn their livelihood through work? Those small captains of industry, those
small artists, and those small officers of the service industry who refuse to
take handouts without the sweat of their brow?
In my time in this metropolis, I’ve come to
notice these children; it’s very hard not to. Children who polish shoes,
children who sing, children who perform gymnastics, children who sweep trains
and children who wash vehicles are in an alarming number in this city. Unlike
those whose who choose to beg, these little ones either choose to or are taught
by their parents to earn with a hard day’s labour, such as is not possible for
a child of a more fortunate family to do.
I’ve interacted with some of these
children, some with just one or two words, some with more and they have taught
me more about the fruits of hard labour than I’d managed to in my moral science
class. These children do not accept money without doing their work, they do not
even ask for it unless one allows them to render their services. I believe that
it is these children and not the youth of today who will be the true backbone
of this nation one day.
It makes me sad to see them out of school
and in the streets fighting to survive another day, but it also gives me hope
that if the children of India are ready to work more than those who are
supposed to, we will indeed be a great nation once more.
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