Merry Christmas to everyone. The holiday season has arrived, bringing with it hypothermic cold. The rate at which the chill is increasing in the winters every year, I feel the predictions for an upcoming apocalypse in 2012 isn’t far off really. This write is dedicated to all those hapless children who aren’t fortunate enough to gloat about the last toy they ripped to pieces, the last dress that isn’t wearable anymore, the last book they dog-eared, aye even the last night’s meal they just didn’t wish to eat.
My trips to Sambalpur always bring out a myriad of events which not only are heart rendering but also shocking to put it mildly. So here I was chomping down on some French fries( road side, amazing isn’t it?) I see these two girls(at most 8) trying their best to convince an unconvinced customer to buy some paraphernalia which perhaps was no use to him. After all what use could he put to, toy cars which looked they had survived the Ice Age? After much convincing he makes a quick deal and buys a balloon , perhaps only to shoo those kids away. These two bravehearts, appareled only with frocks that were thoroughly worn out, were nevertheless not shy of showing their gratitude with ear-to-ear grins and profuse happiness. They jumped in happiness after the customer was at a safe distance, perhaps feared that the apparent trade was something that was too good to be true. These kids are forced to walk 5-10 km everyday just to get 10-20 bucks which are just the paycheck to their fathers for being such a sorry-ass human being. The money almost always ends up at the illegal liquor stores . But still these kids wore such infectious smiles.
It really made me die a little on the inside. I mean how could I even grumble at those little things like allowances and make terrible faces after being denied a bike on my birthday? These kids faced so much more still they hardly even had sad eyes. Unable to quench my thirst of information I walk up to those girls and no sooner had I reached them did they start their familiar chants of “ Ye dekhiye bhaiya , kinta mast khilona hai. Aur yeh dekhiye kitna acha balloon hai. Isko agar aap chod denge toh yeh ud ke chanda mama tak pahunch jayega.” Amazing was all I could say. How could somebody be so unbelievably immune to their apparent misfortunes? I asked their names. “ Pinky and Milli” pat came the reply. My belief’s were confirmed after a chat with them. Their father was a good- for- nothing drunkard who beat these bundles of life after getting drunk every day. I and my friend each bought a toy car making these kids beam at us as if we were god send…..
And the best thing was what happened at the end… I heard them talk-“ Aaj papa ko paise nahi denge, chalo kuch khaate hai” said Pinky to Milli. Milli nodded in the affirmative… The girls had boiled eggs as dinner and smiled naughty smiles…. Live on rebels … live on...
p.s.- all my earning readers kindly visit the following link and see how you can make a difference. To the non- earning save a few bucks of your allowance and help these kids plzzzz. I will and you can too.
http://www.savethechildren.in/index.html
