Raju wasnt a beggar. He was a small boy around 12 (or in his early teens), selling trivial stationary at one of the major signal junctions in the city of Bengaluru, The Central Silk Board. Everyone who would have travelled by this road would surely have cursed this junction many a times. For those of you who dont know it, be informed that it is one of the most dreaded junction in the city, simply because of its long signals and traffice density. What better place can one be at, to sell items which most of us consider useless?
Raju was from a small village nearby and had come to the city with his parents, in quest of money, the most indispensable requirement for anyone! It had been over 2 years since the family had moved and since they lacked basic education, his parents took up small jobs which paid on a daily basis. His mother was due to undergo a heart surgery and pretty obviously, the family did not have enough money for it. His father earned about 150-200 a day, which would only suffice for one time meal to the family. This, after he had spent few bucks on alcohol, with him being a regular drinker. Raju never used to understand why his father comes so late at night and with so much fraying and swinging, often losing balance and falling. He used to utter some senseless words, making strange gestures and sounds which only his mother seemed to understand. "May be he is too tired", he thought. What more can a small boy think about his father?
Raju's mother wanted him to study so that he doesn't find himself in a situation that they were in now. It is quite expected of every family that they wish their kids get a good education. But, what when there is no food to eat? No proper clothes to wear and no place to rest? Does education really matter to such people? Most of the times, the answer is "NO". May be that's why Raju's mother was different! And so, Raju did go to a government school. He had studied till 5th standard when he dropped out and came to Bengaluru. He did not want to study any further. He wanted to help his family and one day, he said to his mother "Amma, even I want to do some work and earn some money". She was taken aback after hearing those words from her 12 year old child. "But why Raju? I dont want you to become like us! If you study well, you will earn more than what you could now. Study for few more years and finish your 10th atleast and may be then you can do some work" she told. "But amma, what if God calls you by then? You will simply leave me and go, just like grandpa and grandma did?" he protested. He had heard the doctor say that the operation is essential for her to survive. And when he had asked what it means to 'die' that was exactly what she had told him; to go to God's abode. But now, she fell silent and her head dropped in anguish of the plight in which they were. What can one answer to a question like that? She thought a while and said, "Alright. You can start working. But promise me that you will go to school too. You can work only before the school or after the school hours. Promise?" She stretched her palm in front of him. The boy's face beamed with happiness. The fact that he can now finally do something for his mother made him feel proud of himself and without any hesitation, he kept his palm on hers. She hugged him tight with tears rolling down her sun burnt cheek.
The same evening, she took Raju to a man who deals with normal stationary; pens, pencils and note books. He owned a small shop near to the signal. He was a grim faced man and Raju thought he hadn't smiled in years, perhaps! His teeth was stained with yellow and he had scars on his forehead and on his neck, giving him a rough and somewhat a scary appearance. The man told Raju "Look here young boy, I am giving you this work simply because your mother works at my home and helps my wife. All you need to do is to sell the items that I give you, at the signal. There are few packets of use and throw pens, few notebooks and pencils. with every pack of pen you sell, you will get 5 rupees for yourself and with every pack of pencil, you will earn 2 rupees. If you sell more than 10 packets in a day, I will give you a bonus of 20 rupees for every 10 packets. And don't even think of cheating or running away with the money you get after selling. You have no idea how bad a person I am! Is that clear?" Raju, who had been listening intently, gave him a brief nod. He looked at his mother and smiled emphatically thinking its a simple thing to do. "I will sell more than 20 packets a day and will earn as much as I can" he said to himself. Little did he know about the way people treat such sellers.
The next day, he woke up before the sunrise, took the items given by the man and loaded them into a worn out bag and went to the signal the man had said, at about 6 'o clock. He had to attend school from 9 to 4, as promised to his mother. So he had planned to sell till 8:30 and then come back again in the evening after the school. He had worn deep blue shorts and a white shirt which had almost turned brown with stains and dirt. There was also a noticeable tear at the side of it and the short was too loose for him; probably one of the employers his mother worked for had given away his son's old uniform dress. But then, who cares to notice all that? Does it even matter?
In the morning, he could manage to sell only a pack of pencils; that's it. No big deal, just a pack of pencils that had profited him 2 rupees. But that gave him hope; hope of selling more, a hope that he will be able to contribute for his mother's treatment, in whatever the small way it is! He smiled to himself and as time was nearing 8:15, he realised it is futile to spend any more time there. He thought he can surely sell more when he comes back in the evening because the shopkeeper had told him that that is when there is a surge of people travelling on that road. With a heartfelt satisfaction, he went to school.
He liked being at school. He enjoyed learning. At the hindsight, he also remembered what his mother had told; study more, you will earn more. May be that played a vital role too, in escalating his interest. The need for money can do anything, ain't it? He made friends quickly and played with them in the break. He enjoyed it a lot and felt it was probably the best day of his life. He couldn't wait to get back to 'business' and earn little more rupees than he had in the morning. He had thought of treating himself with a big chocolate that he had seen in a big store. He had decided that he will do so only if he gets that bonus of 20 rupees. Once the school was done, he rushed back home, kept his school books out of the bag and loaded with the things he was supposed to sell. He hurried back to the signal as fast as he could; he had to be back at home before 7 in the evening and so every minute was crucial! (Its so funny, almost everyone in this world have a limited time and some complexly term it as "being busy").
When vehicles came to a halt and the drivers turned off their engines, he swiftly ran towards them showing the pens and pencils and shouting its price. There were all kinds of vehicles; lorries, cars, bikes and rickshaws. There were some 'big' cars and fancy bikes and it is these he approached first, thinking they are rich and surely they will buy these. However, no one seemed to bother. Most of the people were returning after a long tiring day at office and they did not bother about this little boy. He did the same thing every time the vehicles halted on seeing a red light, but without much use. Someone he approached had a girl sitting behind on his bike. The guy asked Raju how much the pens cost and on hearing the price he flashed a 1000 rupee note in front of Raju's face and asked for a packet of pen. "Anna, please give me Indian currency" said Raju, ignorant of the fact that there existed a Rs. 1000 note too! It was the first time he had seen it; he simply refused to take it and walked away to the next vehicle. The man laughed hysterically and looked at the girl sitting behind him. Little did Raju know that this guy was simply trying to show off his wealth to his girlfriend! At the next signal, he approached a woman in a car, she scowled at him and yelled "Go to school you idiot! No one cares for what you sell! well, what is the use of telling you? your parents are to be blamed for this!". Raju frowned at the mention of her dire comments towards his parents and wanted to say something back. But what could he? He felt retarded. He wasn't here to argue or fight. He put his head down in shame and went aside. After two hours of non stop marketing at the signal, he felt tired. He wanted to rest a while, but realised all he had gained since morning was only 2 rupees! He asked the time from a pedestrian and was disappointed when he said 6:15. It meant he had only 15-30 minutes before the end of the day's sales. Things hadn't turned out the way he had expected. He wanted to take at the least, 10 rupees to home, which meant selling two packets of pens or 5 packets of pencils. All the dreams of him buying a chocolate had disappeared, but when he saw a small girl inside a car eating a large bar of chocolate, he started to think as to why there is a difference between her and me? Why is it that this little girl gets a chocolate whether she wants it or not, but I have to struggle all day to earn it? He couldn't understand. He is only 12. With his eyes fixed on the chocolate he took a couple of steps forward, only to get himself almost killed! A car which was on a full throttle to clear the signal in the last few seconds, almost hit Raju. The young man inside the car opened his window and shouted out to Raju "You scoundrel! Dint you find any other car to commit suicide?" He got down off the car and hit Raju hard. The poor boy's face turned white with terror and he started to cry. He could not utter a single word. The man got into the car after creating a ruckus and zoomed away. Raju still was crying. He looked around and there was no one to console him. He wanted to run away from this place and sleep on his mother's lap. The moment he thought of his mother, he knew he had to earn to save his mother's life. He wiped his tears and slowly began to move towards the vehicles on the turning on of the now familiar red light. He showed a little more desperateness now and started praying to people to buy the things. He approached a big car and with folded hands and watery eyes, "Please buy this. Please. I need the money I get from this for my mother. Please buy" he urged. The man in the car never bothered, instead all he did was to roll up the window of his car. "Get lost you beggar" he said as his window went up. Raju cried again. But who cares? Is there anyone in this world who can help me smile? Why are people so cruel? He did not understand. Being in school, learning and playing with friends was fun. But he couldnt do just that. What will he tell his mother when he goes home? The thought of selling 20 or more packets a day seemed like a distant dream. In one day alone, he had seen the world, he felt. His legs hurt and his stomach growled. He hadnt eaten anything since morning. He realised it is not so easy after all, to do this kind of work. He sat for few minutes on a side wall and made up his mind not to come back the next day. He rose and walked homeward, disappearing on the smoke and dust filled roads, with no one to notice who he is or why was he doing what he was doing; seeking for money and happiness. "May be my mother is destined to be with God" he said to himself with his chin down and looking at the rough foot path which blurred, his eyes starting to swell with tears.
Epilogue: Whose fault was it? Was it wrong of Raju to think of earning at that age, without even having an idea of how the world is? Or is it his mother's who let her child to do this? Or is it the fault of their parents, who were destined to be poor? Or is it the mistake of the 'Civilized Society'? I shall leave it for you to decide!
When vehicles came to a halt and the drivers turned off their engines, he swiftly ran towards them showing the pens and pencils and shouting its price. There were all kinds of vehicles; lorries, cars, bikes and rickshaws. There were some 'big' cars and fancy bikes and it is these he approached first, thinking they are rich and surely they will buy these. However, no one seemed to bother. Most of the people were returning after a long tiring day at office and they did not bother about this little boy. He did the same thing every time the vehicles halted on seeing a red light, but without much use. Someone he approached had a girl sitting behind on his bike. The guy asked Raju how much the pens cost and on hearing the price he flashed a 1000 rupee note in front of Raju's face and asked for a packet of pen. "Anna, please give me Indian currency" said Raju, ignorant of the fact that there existed a Rs. 1000 note too! It was the first time he had seen it; he simply refused to take it and walked away to the next vehicle. The man laughed hysterically and looked at the girl sitting behind him. Little did Raju know that this guy was simply trying to show off his wealth to his girlfriend! At the next signal, he approached a woman in a car, she scowled at him and yelled "Go to school you idiot! No one cares for what you sell! well, what is the use of telling you? your parents are to be blamed for this!". Raju frowned at the mention of her dire comments towards his parents and wanted to say something back. But what could he? He felt retarded. He wasn't here to argue or fight. He put his head down in shame and went aside. After two hours of non stop marketing at the signal, he felt tired. He wanted to rest a while, but realised all he had gained since morning was only 2 rupees! He asked the time from a pedestrian and was disappointed when he said 6:15. It meant he had only 15-30 minutes before the end of the day's sales. Things hadn't turned out the way he had expected. He wanted to take at the least, 10 rupees to home, which meant selling two packets of pens or 5 packets of pencils. All the dreams of him buying a chocolate had disappeared, but when he saw a small girl inside a car eating a large bar of chocolate, he started to think as to why there is a difference between her and me? Why is it that this little girl gets a chocolate whether she wants it or not, but I have to struggle all day to earn it? He couldn't understand. He is only 12. With his eyes fixed on the chocolate he took a couple of steps forward, only to get himself almost killed! A car which was on a full throttle to clear the signal in the last few seconds, almost hit Raju. The young man inside the car opened his window and shouted out to Raju "You scoundrel! Dint you find any other car to commit suicide?" He got down off the car and hit Raju hard. The poor boy's face turned white with terror and he started to cry. He could not utter a single word. The man got into the car after creating a ruckus and zoomed away. Raju still was crying. He looked around and there was no one to console him. He wanted to run away from this place and sleep on his mother's lap. The moment he thought of his mother, he knew he had to earn to save his mother's life. He wiped his tears and slowly began to move towards the vehicles on the turning on of the now familiar red light. He showed a little more desperateness now and started praying to people to buy the things. He approached a big car and with folded hands and watery eyes, "Please buy this. Please. I need the money I get from this for my mother. Please buy" he urged. The man in the car never bothered, instead all he did was to roll up the window of his car. "Get lost you beggar" he said as his window went up. Raju cried again. But who cares? Is there anyone in this world who can help me smile? Why are people so cruel? He did not understand. Being in school, learning and playing with friends was fun. But he couldnt do just that. What will he tell his mother when he goes home? The thought of selling 20 or more packets a day seemed like a distant dream. In one day alone, he had seen the world, he felt. His legs hurt and his stomach growled. He hadnt eaten anything since morning. He realised it is not so easy after all, to do this kind of work. He sat for few minutes on a side wall and made up his mind not to come back the next day. He rose and walked homeward, disappearing on the smoke and dust filled roads, with no one to notice who he is or why was he doing what he was doing; seeking for money and happiness. "May be my mother is destined to be with God" he said to himself with his chin down and looking at the rough foot path which blurred, his eyes starting to swell with tears.
Epilogue: Whose fault was it? Was it wrong of Raju to think of earning at that age, without even having an idea of how the world is? Or is it his mother's who let her child to do this? Or is it the fault of their parents, who were destined to be poor? Or is it the mistake of the 'Civilized Society'? I shall leave it for you to decide!
