We had enjoyed an evening out. My examinations were over and my family and I had gone out for a long drive to the suburban part of the town. On our return we found a large crowd gathered outside our colony, I wondered what was attracting the people?
I elbowed my way through the crowd to see a young girl about six or seven years of age walking over a tight rope balancing a wooden pole measuring about ten to twelve feet along. There was a young man with a harmonium belting out a rustic song as the child walked precariously over the rope. A brightly dressed woman stood watching cautious and concerned of the child may not fall off. May be she was that girl’s mother.
What made these people risk the young girl’s life? What would happen if she fell down? Would she be mained for fife? Will she get crippled? A dozen questions like these darted through my mind. I felt sympathy for the poor children who had to risk their life to earn their livelihood.
I also thought of the hundreds of children who were child-labourers. Many worked in hazardous factories like glass factories and chemical industries. One careless movement could ruin their lives forever. I thought of the long hours of work for those under fourteen children who worked in road-side dhabas, tea-shops and carpet weaving factories where they laboured day after day unflinchingly and uncomplainingly. When I drive out of my multi-storeyed apartments I often happen to see a bunch often to fifteen children across the road. There are new apartments coming up just before my building. The ages of these children range from a few months to fourteen-fifteen years. All of them are ragged, ill-clad, hungry and dirty. While their parents work they have to tend for themselves.
The labourers children hung around the building sites, often exposed to all the dangers which an unfinished structure can cause. These children have never known the care-free, happy feeling of childhood. They have never been pampered by their parents or spoilt by riches. They lead modest hard-working lives, maturing much earlier than their actual years.
They are almost young adults who can shoulder the responsibility of earning daily wages, looking after their younger brothers and sisters and helping out their parents on fields, in building, in domestic work as well.
I do hope that a day will come when childhood would turn a blessing to these children rather than a curse.
