Quite often , I see some street urchins roaming around the aisles of a commercial mart near my office, their prawning eyes are always focused down below looking towards footwear of the gentry – having found one , they quickly start to converse with the prospective customer in one word which sums up their intention – “Polish?”. I know one of them amongst the lot as I have befriended him since 3-4 months.
Walking barefoot throughout the
scorching heat, Vaibhav goes on to chase his customers who need polishing their
shoes – the irony being he himself cannot afford a shoe and thus maintain it.
His worn-out feet juxtaposes a
history of sorts, he comes to his ‘Karmic’ Region barefoot and keeps on roaming
around with a sole objective to earn a certain amount per day to accommodate his
lunch as well as safe for his dinner in the night. He belongs to Ajmer and had
come to Delhi with is village friends – a lot of two other urchins who also are
in the same profession as Vaibhav.
Asking him about he school he quite
vociferously tells me “ School is closed due to Covid – I don’t have a mobile
phone or a computer so as to attend the online classes – though I have bought
the books when I started from Ajmer and when I have time in the evening, I read
them quite occasionally
Vaibhav meets me without fail on
all weekdays and hardly takes a break from his ‘Business’ as he confidently
calls it with aplomb. He wants to open a shoe factory in the long run as he
thinks he has not only mastered the art of polishing shoes but also has started
to make them.
Further asking him as to why he has not made shoes for himself, he tells me “ I don’t have money to make shoes for myself but I am saving for that day when I shall wear a shoe made by my own self.” – His proudness was well recorded by me and I prayed to God that one day he should get what he has dreamt of. Every person dreams big out of life for himself and Vaibhav is no different, his situation in life is tricky as he has to balance his economic situation along with his studies and take care of the family as well.
His parents belong to economically
weaker section of society – His father is a cobbler and his mother a housemaid.
He has two elder sisters – both married at an early age – another anomaly in
our society where young girls are married off at puberty only to become mothers
at adolescent age!
Vaibhav does want to ruin a life
of any girl till the time he sets himself strong foot economically – his prudence
of life at this stage is well honored and at least he knows the poverty trap he
has to set himself free. He works hard throughout the day, only to leave by 7
pm in the evening, when shots and offices in the commercial complex sets to
thin down. Post this, he long with his friends go on a little evening breakfast
consisting of Tea and Rusk or biscuits. A general chitchat follows among all
four and they laugh and discuss life and be merry – that is the time which belongs
to all three and they cherish these moments to their hearts content.
Vaibhav has one big quality which
is in his blood – he never overcharges for his labour and never undermines his effort,
whatever he quotes for the work type that becomes his last word. Though in
nowadays parlance this is not the right attitude, but he says he is right in
his might and he wants to stick to the rules he has made for himself and thus
follows it with all earnest.
Before taking leave, I wish Vaibhav
and his friends a good bye and ‘All the Best’ greetings – I would certainly
like to be in touch with them, and honestly want to see them grow not only in
age but also about maturity of living and may they achieve their dreams which
they have set their eyes henceforth!
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