~ The Want of a School…~

The lad was so confident in his appearance, just a toddler worth his age – he was just loitering around the voting center the other day, oblivious to what was happening around ‘the huge building’ ( as he described) – in our dictum it is called “School’ as I told him….

His face grimaced but was soon turned dull as wanted to be inside the building – the next obvious question was “ Yahan Police kyon baithi hai?” (Why police is sitting outside the entrance!”)

I smilingly answered – because It is voting day!

“Who kya hota hai Uncle?” (What that means Uncle?)

I responded “ Beta kuch nahi 😊!” , as I certainly didn’t want to open a Pandora's box for him, as he was not too big to be told, I pondered.

He was carrying a gunny sack on his shoulder, collecting old plastic bags and water bottles thrown outside the polling booth – he had just one selfish interest – to collect as may bottles as he can, as the task given was soon be gauged and thus converted to moolah for him.

“Ah” – as I enquired, “Beta, aapka naam kya hai?”  (What is your name?)

“Karan” , he quipped shyly…”Where do you stay” and where is your mummy, Papa?

He had no answer to this but replied with a quaint reply which I was not expecting out of him and that was….“Uncle mereko ismein padna hai …!!!” – my heart just melted…. He was so small, without any footwear , in a dilapidated clothes but for sure he knew the value of education and going to school.

His reply stunned me to the core, I asked him again about where he is staying and that I have never seen him around – “ Pehli baar aaya hoon idhar, plastic bottles collect karne!” (I have come here for the first time to collect empty plastic bottles.)

He certainly was not liking his job but unfortunately had no or little scope on maneuvering as his innermost desire will be unanswered – his predicament was his destiny –

I kept watching him as he collected bottles hungrily so that he could get good money – plastic bottles thrown by policemen on election duty – the sight was too much for many of us – A small boy all of 6-7 years desired to study was doing a job not suited for him….

No one came to fetch him as I kept an eye on him – he was oblivious to my observance but was looking for plastic bottles with a hawk eye – There were so well dressed kids coming to polling center to satiate their inquisition of how voting takes place inside the polling station, but here was this street urchin completely in different tone of life – a life which offered him tough choices as a kid …

I went to him for the last time to know if he will come again the next day – “Patan ahi uncle, Jahan bolenge wahin jaunga…” ( Don’t know uncle, wherever they (his handler, or parents) will send him, he will oblige) ….

Today was no different as he didn’t turn up… I consider that meeting to be an eyeopener for many of us who are so privileged for the life we are living…for any contrarian thought, just think of ‘Karan’ … you would have counted a sizeable number of goodies life has offered you…