Today as I was feeding my year old daughter in the morning I was showing her all the various big construction vehicles standing just opposite to our window. Our flat is surrounded by three apartments under construction, so you can understand the amount of dust and noise and of course the condition of the roads due to these heavy construction vehicles. Around 7:30am I noticed a mini truck offloading labors’ and their families just opposite to our window. Though this was just a usual sight for me but all of a sudden I started comparing.
My daughter is 14 months old, having her home made breakfast with me nagging and running behind her and she covered enough to protect her from the cool breeze and just opposite I see mothers tying their kids to their back. Some kids may be of my daughters age, some few months older and some even younger. Wearing dirty, torn, faded clothes just enough to cover their little bodies and not to mention their bare feet. As they were getting down from the truck, they started settling down their belongings, which included utensils, food materials and bare necessities. It seems they travel with their entire world in those little bags. Our kids play on the mattress with risk proof branded toys and their kids play on the sand with bricks and broken timber. Eat what they get and sleep on the sand itself.
It was then I started thinking that they work since 8 am in the morning till sunset, under scorching heat, risking their lives and even their family and manage to earn may be somewhere near about Rs. 150/- at the end of the day or even less. And we work for the same duration, sitting in AC cabins, sending our kids to good play school where they are given the best professional care possible and earn may be 10 times more per day if not more. Our kids sleep under AC on good mattresses and their kids sleep under the scorching heat on the burning sand. Then I asked myself why? Why is there so much of difference? And the answer is EDUCATION, I get paid for my knowledge and they get paid for their physical work.
Its education which ensures a better life if not the best. But with that comes the question of money. These labors are like vagabonds. Where there is work they travel. Still if they try they can even educate their kids. Though money is a prime criterion but there are options which can be considered like “Anganwadi”. But what they need is encouragement. Encouragement from people like us. If we can encourage them and if possible try to sponsor one child I think a change can be bought. It’s said if one member of the family is educated then the other members follow. If not with money atleast we can try and donate our old clothes and toys to them. Just try once, I can assure you the moment you see them wearing your old clothes and playing with our old broken toys the joy and satisfaction you get would bring a change in you.
Lets help them and bring a change in our society.
The Glowing Halo 