His name is Hassan. He is only six years old. At this tender age when he should be playing with his mates and going to school, he is selling fruits. A few days back, he opened my cabin door and said “Saab Keri (Mangoes) le lo. I just looked at him and continued to stare at him till he muttered “Saab Keri le lo” again. He was carrying a case consisting of two dozen mangoes on his head. Just imagine the plight of this boy who was roaming from one office building to another in the sweltering heat with all this weight on his head so that he earns something out of it. I was feeling embarrassed myself because I was sitting in the cool comforts of my office and here was this child whose ill fate was forcing him to roam from door to door. My heart ached at this child’s plight and at the circumstances which may have compelled him and his family to forego his right to education and the precious childhood time which he might never experience again in his whole life. Just spare a thought for such children and compare it with the luxuries that our children enjoy. Aren’t our children very lucky?
This is the plight of millions of Hassans in our country. Most of them are poor, many of them come from lower classes living in rural areas where education is still considered as a taboo and is not given due importance owing to various factors, but between all these, such young children suffer heavily due to it. Due to their tender age they are not in a position to understand all these things and without education their future already becomes bleak right from their childhood days. At this age they have to work for their families. Many of them beg, many of them become child labourers and many of them just toil hard to earn their daily bread. Children are considered as the future of any nation, who help in the progress and development of a country, but should it be limited to a certain upper class children only? The measures taken by our government in this regard are inadequate. How can you call yourself a progressing nation when the basic right to education of every child is not fulfilled? This is a very grave issue which has to be dealt immediately and for that the government certainly needs to take firm steps instead of false promises for eradicating poverty and unemployment which are the root causes for such things and along with it there is a need for vociferously spreading the message in every nook and corner for the need of education and it’s positive effects and outcome in the future amongst children and their respective families through volunteers, social workers, ngo’s and common people who are ready to help.
I hope that the government and the concerning bodies act responsibly and urgently in this matter and try to resolve this burning issue. I too in my own little way always try to help such needy children who are eager to study but don’t have the resources. I try to help them in the best possible way in which I can afford to. My father always advocated for education as he too in his childhood, in spite of being very intelligent in his initial stages of education, was deprived of it later due to financial deficiencies amongst others. I want to live and maintain my father’s dream by helping those in need of education, so that at least some Hassans don’t lose their childhood and are not deprived of their moral right to education.
Peace, tranquility and equality to all.