I live at the street light near the corner of your house. I work at the local store where you get your snacks from. I am all around you when you take a walk down the road.
I'm the vexing phenomena that is alive and growing all over India and other developing countries.But Alas! I'm something that is invisible to most of you.

You are so filled with your happy meals and cafe coffee day routines, that you hardly notice me eagerly looking at you from the other side of the glass.

 I'm the one who offers you to clean the dirt off your car while you are at the traffic signal at prices cheaper than dirt. I'm the one who sells Maps and magazines at railways stations and bus stations, even though i do not know what they mean. I sleep without any food in my stomach at night, i carry my 2 year old younger brother on my waist to find some food and money to feed him.

The similarity between me and you ? You all believe in INDIA SHINING, INDIA GROWING. You all believe in sending rockets in space. I see you all, showing off your latest cell phones, one with that shiny flash and camera. I see your pretentious walk, I see you driving those big black cars. I see you shop for the festivals. I see you carry those shopping bags in diwali, filled with gifts & clothes. I see you buying your kids ice cream cones.

While you! You never see me. You extol me to get lost, if I come to ask for alms. You tell me that you don't have any money while still talking on your big bright phone. You tell me to go to someone else for help, as you don't have any money, even though you at the same time throw out a Rs 100 note to the shopkeeper for ice-creams chocolate.

You celebrate diwali. You celebrate Makarsankranti. You celebrate christmas. You celebrate New Year. Every day is a celebration for you.

I sell those small earthen lamps that my mother made for diwali. I'm the kid you buy your kites from on Makarsankrati. I run around the roads fighting with other kids to get hold of as many kites as i can, so that i can sell it to some sahabji like you for some small money which can help me fill my stomach for that day atleast. Your kid wishes gifts from santa on christmas, while i'm the kid that is told to stay off the stage where santa lets kid come upto him and ask for their gifts.
I do not know what Children's day is ? I work every day of the year.

I do not know what festivals are for. All i know is that i get to work extra hard on that day. I try to impress you, i try to sell anything i have that day. But you never stop amusing me. You always abuse your power. Even though i make only 2 Rs on 20 kites, you want to me to sell those kites at only Rs 1 profit. Well you are the lucky one, you don't know what it feels on having an empty stomach since last night.So have it your way.
I don't know much about this world. My world starts with me going out for food and coming home with or without food.

I'm so small , that you can kick me off your way and your mind. You got better things to think about, like what to wear tomorrow ? Where to go on weekends ?

I'm nothing from your ken. I represent nothing from your perception. It's just that every 5th kid in here is me. I know you are a busy person, and that you don't have any time for all such things. I have just one request. Please sir, if next time you see me around you, please do not thrown me out of your way, do not ignore me. Please do not tell me to shoo away. I'm just like your kid, I'm a human being too.

I'm Child Labour.

Please do not encourage child labour.

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Comments (6)

Posted by tarhead 2008-02-05 01:49:23 i understand the message, and i guess it a drift across a canyon when parsing thoughts... i see the difference between want and must, and i guess it has to do with where you are standing at the time. i promote child labour. not in an environment where on must, but in an environment where one may... if a country does not have the facility to educate and occupy the children, what does one do with them? in brazil, for many decades they were slaves, and had no option to work for any kind of compensation other than not getting killed... while i undestand your position and do not condone the act, i can see where there is always something worse, and one must make a personal attempt to make things better... evolution of mankind is a slow idiotic process that many claim does not exist, while at the same time you live it. well written. + Report this comment
Posted by Munky 2008-02-05 03:01:33 .... Nicely written. There are really so many arguments for and against child labor that it's useless to try and reach a verdict. Child labor just IS and I believe that with time and evolution as tarhead put it, it will diminish. After all, the English went through this same path during the Industrial Revolution where child labor was widespread. + Report this comment
Posted by darkestlord 2008-02-05 04:10:20 .... What a sad and true story.Nicely written. + Report this comment
Posted by Amit 2008-02-05 04:26:16 .... Thank you everyone, this is my first try at writing a story. I only write for what touches my heart . + Report this comment
Posted by critic at large 2008-02-05 09:08:13 .... This was really not a story but a political message, and one that needs to be addressed. Try fiction next up. Nice message. + Report this comment
Posted by C.R. Vard 2008-02-10 18:44:20 .... good message and well written...reminds me of something from 'the onion'- Gap for Kids, By Kids. that was after they got caught exporting to sweatshops in bangledash (idk if that's spelled right) + Report this comment

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