HANDS THAT SPREADS FRAGRANCE

HANDS THAT SPREADS FRAGRANCE

-SANGHAMITRA GOGOI

MACJ

 

Recently when I was attending this seminar on violence against children, a thought pricked me with regard to a recent case on my stay in Delhi. This story is of a 10 year old child with whom I thought of interacting during my visit to a friend’s place located at Lakshmi Nagar, New Delhi. He is a child labourer working in a factory producing incense sticks. Wonder how the environmental condition would be for a child to work in such adverse situation. When I was 10 years old I remember my mother telling me not to play with match sticks or any sharp object with fear of getting myself hurt. Like all parents even she was concern about her child’s safety. But the atmospheric condition in which these children work are clear cut evident of the ignorance of the people and the government. The dingy wall belongs to them is what we think and the hard work they face everyday is what we don’t feel. Most of the children even lose their eyesight at an early age, which for me is an extreme sorrow. The face of this little boy was masque pale and motionless which resembled the shape of an object without life. It seemed as if his entire childhood had been snatched away from him by people whose thoughts run the society. The society including the owners who seemed more like a grim reaper makes promises on providing them a better life out of this kind of work.

I asked him with utter sorrow – what is your age?

He looks up and replies softly on my ear- I am 10years old

I asked- did your parents send you to school?

He replies- no

I asked him again- do you want to go to school like other children?

The reaction of the child was worth capturing when he grasps my hand and said ‘yes’ with immense joy gleaming in his eyes.

I felt culpable at my remark when I promised him to take him to school as soon as possible. He was as normal as any other child who would love to experience their school life. They fantasize about the books, bag, pencil and most important school. What is school is yet to be explored by them. But then deep inside me I knew the truth. But then their’s a truth regarding children who are caught in a rat-trap. The truth regarding his future. In India the child labour has become a common sight. Wherever you travel in every nook and corner you will find this little child sitting alone and mourning about his lost childhood. You will also find children below 18 years old working in such condition. They have been taught the wrong dictionary of the term ‘education’.

 Should we as audience tolerate the vileness of the society and their strategy for money making?

The answer is yet not been discussed as we believe that society by and large talks about these issue but does little research to come out of a solution. This as a matter of concern should be bought to the limelight. The Child Rights started in 28^th of November, 1989 and was accepted by India on 11^th December 1992. But then the success for implementing these rights was scarcely seen. Therefore a child right is an issue of social development. What is parent’s role on their children is yet another matter of concern. Children whose parents are illiterate tend to make mistakes in sending their children to factories in order to earn their living. The root cause for all these issue could possibly be poverty. The knowledge of poverty has been inscribed in their mind before they were born without trying to grab a child psyche on their emotional and psychological pattern. This is a huge mistake parents make when they introduce their children regarding their economic condition at an earlier age thinking that they might show themselves as responsible and matured. This is completely wrong on parents behalf to commit such careless without due knowledge. Therefore one must keep in mind regarding the care and attention they provide children because they are the once who will lead the nation at a much later age.