Lost childhood...

Innocent...childlike...unperturbed smile on his face...clinging on to the pole...swinging...swaying...floating in the wind...dancing in the air...trying to fly high up there...

Ah!!! having a blissful moment you might think, but hold on...this was the sight I came across while being on my way back home, in the moving train. The boy, something around 8-12, was clinging on to the pole with one foot outside in the air trying to have a slight thrill in his grief-stricken, bitter, burdensome life.

His innocent smile drew me towards him and there I was again, contemplating his future. Contemplate...debate...judge...that is all we, the fortunate, sophisticated lot end up doing in our comfort zones. Our take on this, "Oh that silly boy, playful, immature, a fool, doesn't he know that 1 slip up and either he is amputated for good or life bids adieu to him". Perhaps, he does know, perhaps he is tired of his struggling life, and this, is his way of flying away from his daily hardships. "But he should at least think of his parents, imagine what would they go through..." Not much, they might be relieved...they have lot many to feed any which way. Painful and cruel it sure sounds.

With my limited knowledge, let me try to picture a day in his life. Maybe his day starts at 5 in the morning, when our kids still snuggle beneath the warmth of the blanket. He, alongwith his siblings (around 4-5) embark upon a day that is dedicated towards earning a meager amount, not enough to put the bread on the table for the entire family. The activities might range from begging, working on a part-time basis at a roadside eating joint, selling newspapers, working as a part-time office boy, collecting garbage bags to engaging in some small time spurious, swindling activity to earn that quick money. And this happens while our kids go through complaining how boring the school is, how irrelevant the subjects are, how unthoughtful the mothers are for not having sent the favourite snack, how uncaring the fathers are for not buying the new computer game, how empty the fridge looks without the chocolates, what a pain doing homework is, how less the time is to play and how distasteful the dinner is...Thinking about it...how shallow our lives were when we were kids, ever complaining, grumbling, always dissatisfied...

So, coming back to us, what do/can we actually do to make the boy's life slightly easier, to make the smile stay right there for longer time? "I am strictly against giving them money, instead of begging why don't they do something, why don't they work?" you might argue, talking about jobs, sure, why don't you hire them then? Our principle does not let us give money, fair enough, always have a fruit or biscuits and lend them that, or, we could buy them food that is available at the vicinity. But that, would be a temporary arrangement.

What about the innumerable number of orphans that our country shelters? Our turn to react, "what about them??? There are orphanage centres spread across the length and breadth of the country... can't bring them home at least." Well, maybe we could...or maybe we should...or maybe we must...choose the option that is most convenient to you. And this would even lead to dual benefits - the country's population would be under control and these kids would get a shelter, a proper upbringing and eventually end up growing with proper inputs to move on to the ladder of life. Imagine !!! this act of ours would prevent wastage of untapped talent and potential of these children. Your turn to react, "You mean adopt !!! Oh my Gosh !!! Have you taken leave of your senses? Let an unknown person home??? Bring him up !!! But I would want to bring up only my child, my blood...my genes...my etc... etc... etc... I cannot welcome an orphan in my world (this is because the cynicism and materialism around us have ridden us of our humane values) God knows what genes...what disease he would be carrying." Well, whatever he carries, we can be rest assured that he would at least not carry this selfish, narcissist mindset of ours. And moreover, we can always get him medically checked and make precautionary arrangements before he...embraces us. Sounds idealistic, wishful, impractical??? Think again, I can't comment on the idealistic and wishful part, but impractical, not really if you let go off your obsession with having your own genes grow on to become another you (complicated, cynical, self-obsessed and unwelcoming). I guess it really is the time we stop pondering, mulling and debating over our tea time snack and take an action, make a change in whichever - small, big, temporary, permanent manner we can.

Till then...let the boy have his thrill but not cling on to the poll of the train...let him sway and swing but have his feet on the ground firm...let him fly away from the miseries, and definitely, let the smile remain...unperturbed...childlike...innocent...

Amen...