It was a usual day in the school where I worked as a teacher. It is a reputed school of my town. A huge infrastructure, an intellectual group of teachers on payroll, a strict principal and a self proclaiming (this is what I concluded later) human rights abiding management. Keeping to its proclamation, the school management decided to ban the sale of soft drinks in the school canteen since it is (yeah, that is true as well) hazardous to kids’ health. Media also flashed big news on how high pesticide levels in soft drinks are detected. Prejudiced as we always are, all teachers whole heartedly supported the ban.
Now, stop yawning on what’s the big deal about all this crap I am trying to feed you guys. ….just wait n keep reading……….
One day during lunch break I ordered a cup of tea from School canteen. The 12 years old boy who used to bring orders turned up and I was shocked to see that he was badly injured on the head, face & eyes. . I was shocked n asked him what happened. He told me that he had fallen from the roof while trying to catch a stray kite a days back. Still in a shock I asked him to go home and take rest. The poor boy almost skipped a heartbeat on this unexpected flair of sympathy, he was not used to and said, “ No Madamji ! I can’t”. On my further inquiry he revealed that his boss had flatly refused to let him go and threatened to deduct his salary if he fails to comply. I looked in his innocent young eyes which were two reservoirs of pain, apathy and helplessness. His timid lean body was a live painting of hurt and suffering. And that is when I thought and concluded the selfish and hypocrite patterns of our thoughts.
We, an intelligent lot at a very gracious renowned institute of learning… with hell lot of mechanism and resources have been always happy to roar murder on issues like soft drinks because they are bad for children who can afford buying them but we refuse to react and acknowledge the real problems which hundreds of children around us suffer on daily basis. We refuse to acknowledge the cruelties of child labour. We refuse to see and feel for that small tea canteen boy who had been denied not only a proper rest but also something which he deserves for being a child.
Promoting or manipulating Child labour is not only a social offence but an unforgivable sin.
Now, stop yawning on what’s the big deal about all this crap I am trying to feed you guys. ….just wait n keep reading……….
One day during lunch break I ordered a cup of tea from School canteen. The 12 years old boy who used to bring orders turned up and I was shocked to see that he was badly injured on the head, face & eyes. . I was shocked n asked him what happened. He told me that he had fallen from the roof while trying to catch a stray kite a days back. Still in a shock I asked him to go home and take rest. The poor boy almost skipped a heartbeat on this unexpected flair of sympathy, he was not used to and said, “ No Madamji ! I can’t”. On my further inquiry he revealed that his boss had flatly refused to let him go and threatened to deduct his salary if he fails to comply. I looked in his innocent young eyes which were two reservoirs of pain, apathy and helplessness. His timid lean body was a live painting of hurt and suffering. And that is when I thought and concluded the selfish and hypocrite patterns of our thoughts.
We, an intelligent lot at a very gracious renowned institute of learning… with hell lot of mechanism and resources have been always happy to roar murder on issues like soft drinks because they are bad for children who can afford buying them but we refuse to react and acknowledge the real problems which hundreds of children around us suffer on daily basis. We refuse to acknowledge the cruelties of child labour. We refuse to see and feel for that small tea canteen boy who had been denied not only a proper rest but also something which he deserves for being a child.
Promoting or manipulating Child labour is not only a social offence but an unforgivable sin.
1 comment:
I feel sorry for the poor state of child labor in India .
I think the roots of child labor are embedded deep in everyone of us ..Which is very hard to solve
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