It was again one of those awful days I had to make it to office. The boring bus journey, the usual crowded roads and loud horns. Not a day has passed without me cribbing about working in this company. This Monday was no different. The only difference being me deciding to listen to songs in my mobile through my earphones. I thought I shouldn’t worry about anything as I was happily listening to the Maestro’s songs. Neither was the loud horns heard, nor was fights picked up by the fisher folk in the bus with the conductor.
The only irritant was the standing crowd falling on those seated. Thankfully I got a seat; unfortunately it was one near the door. So the crowds thronged the bus and with the door being near my seat it was getting even worse. And this small fellow was continuous trampling my feet without even being apologetic. He must be around 8-9 years and I certainly thought age should not be an excuse for not apologizing. He was wearing a school uniform with a huge bag behind him.
The only factor that stopped me from abusing him was the fact that he wasn’t hurting me much by stamping my feet. And I realized that he wasn’t wearing any footwear.
Well, I lost interest in the music I was listening to. “What’s your name?” I asked the little boy. Vignesh was his name. Upon further inquiry I found that he studied in a Tamil medium school which is meant for the poorest of poor. A bright student who held the 3rd rank in his class. High marks, hard-working student and a bright future. His father was a construction worker and mother a home-maker (that is what they ought to be called as opposed to being called a “house-wife “).
The poor soul couldn’t understand one bit of English. He wanted to become a police officer (I thought, thank God at last I found someone who did not want to be a software engineer or a doctor). I understood that the boy was living amidst acute poverty. Thankfully for school students, all of them in TN were eligible for a free bus pass. Else the literacy of the state would have been left languishing at the bottom.
He got down at the Velachery Check Post. A weird sense of imagination was running in my mind. He was 8 years old. What would he do for his college education expenses? Assuming he was a state-ranker. He would be awarded the scholarship. But what about his travel and accommodation expenses? When his daily bread is itself a doubt these days, how could he lead a comfortable life studying and at the same time stay happy? Well, he getting a state rank is a very highly optimistic view. From a realistic perspective, college education is never cheap in Chennai. No engineering college offers a course for less than Rs. 50000 per year. Even if he prefers to go for an Arts and Science college, it would certainly cost him about 150000 for the three years. And medical colleges are unimaginable for someone from such a background.
Why is the Government turning a blind eye to such concerns? Why wouldn’t the state intervene and take up such issues with priority. Why should such innocent souls be punished for no fault of theirs? They are intelligent and hardworking. Why can’t they be allowed to bear the fruits of their hard work? Is being poor a sin? Why does the Government allow education be made a means to loot from the rich and deprive the poor of the right to education? If the Government approves educational institutions to continue with the current trend, it means that everyone who is involved in such decision making does not deserve to live in this beautiful world any longer.
I spoke about one Vignesh, with dreams in his eyes and passion in his heart. But he does not have the necessary resources to fulfill those dreams and make them come true. The most disappointing fact is that he is not even assured of nutritious food. There are lakhs of such Vigneshes in our country. It’s time to act. If each of us can take up this issue seriously and voice these views, this would certainly have a huge impact on millions of households in our country, especially children.
Above all, we must understand how gifted we are. Don’t crib if you have to travel by public transport and not by car. There are so many who can’t afford a bus ticket. Stop crying for chicken every day. There are so many for whom a meal a day is in itself a big challenge. Stop worrying if you had missed a movie because of Sunday mass. There are many who haven’t watched a movie in their lifetime.
We are Gifted indeed and let us make this world a beautiful place to live in, not just for us but also for the less privileged in the society.
Season’s Greetings and God Bless.
