There is a big slum in Bhopal city on the left south side of the North TT Nagar. The richness of new market and whole north TT Nagar hides it so that generally, a person, roaming in Bhopal will just ignore it.
Nothing new, every new or old city has such slums and unknown illegal colonies.
There are Hindus living there amalgamated with Muslims and Christians. In addition, Sikhs to a little number lives there.
It is illegal; as I do not think, anyone planned and sanctioned maps for the construction.
Many of them are huts and shambles of some bricks.
Dominique Lapierre (the author of City Of Joy) might have found joy there also. In addition, who knows what the definition of joy is?
There lives some labors some house cleaners and workers, some auto rickshaw drivers, some small shopkeepers, some beggars and some scum and garbage collectors.
It is like a small village out there. In addition, it is not the only slum in Bhopal.
It is true that people needs them, otherwise who will work for the tasks they performs?
We always talks that a person must rise if He/She has potential.
If some rich one does not have the potential and real deserving ability, must not he graciously go down to do those minion works. More ever, is any work can be termed as minion?
On the other hand, the rich one who by chance or by default is rich never takes the plunge to the right spot where he/she must be. Instead, he starts talking of communism and equality. He starts trying to be messiah and awareness provider.
How many who goes to schools and colleges and universities actually deserves it?
Does not they just ruins the resources because neither they wishes to learn and research further to increase the knowledge and develop and create, nor they respects the resources which they got by default.
Anyways, I do not want to criticize anybody.
Some able and aware people reached that slum and started a school during their free times after their jobs. They were no social organization; they were just the boys and girls who played with the people of that slum during their childhood.
There is nothing great in what they tried to do and there is nothing wrong too.
It is there free time and they decide how to use it and enjoy it.
In addition, one of them was I the poor little girl with her debauched mind and arrogant attitude. I liked the idea, to provide a sort of resource to one who is able to use it if I may get even one there.
Therefore, I started visiting there at weekends, providing some books and some basic needs plus a sort of knowledge, which I could.
There I met a girl of 9 years; I do not know her name. All calls her “kallo”.
She was always active and enthusiastic. She was able to understand algebra so easily without any extra effort. I know how difficult it was for my own cousin sister to understand that if -2 added to +2 it becomes zero. Ohh well, my cousin was never so good in mathematics and she always evades it but she is genius in microbiology now. Everyone has her/his pint.
Therefore, I was enthusiastic towards “kallo”. Some five times I met her, gave some books some pencils some copies, taught her some.
Yesterday when I occasionally visited there, I found that she no more visits to that so-called evening school.
The reason was simple. Her grandmother (she is an orphan and lives with her grandparents who work at nearby rich colonies) wanted her to teach housework and earn some hard money.
I simply could not grasp it. I went there to talk to her grandmother; I wanted her to visit school, to learn to study to make her something, which she can.
Her grandmother told me that it is not for her to learn. She said she wants to let her study but people say things. What will she do by learning? It will spoil her. Who will marry her if she will not learn the work? I thought of slapping her. However, she was right. She lives in a place where one’s own self is not for decide what to do, but the one’s own self is to study what others wants her to do. She so selflessly lives there. Looking for what other will think. And how will be the future. If the girl got educated, who will marry her? People will say she knows nothing about the work and she learned “TRIYACHARITAR” and kept roaming here and there. Those were her words. And she is the guardian of my sweet love “kallo”. May be she will work there for her granny until she will be 16 and then her granny will marry her to someone who will again make her to work. i know she will remain am earning woman always.
I personally talked to her. I told her she must leave her granny and come to me, live with me I will teach her I will take care of her. However, she was very enthusiastic about her new work as she got a dress (an old tattered used up frock from her employer) she told me they gave her orange juice to drink and she will be getting Rs250/- per month from there. Ahh, she is almost 10 and is earning. Who says money is not important?
That girl is killing her very own self for some money. She is not selfish she just does not knows her self and do not want to safeguard it.
I cannot fight with her guardians too. She has two elder brothers also who also works. The fun is, her granny insist those boys two go to the government school and study and hence get the government job later which their father was appointed to. Nevertheless, they do not likes to go to school, they bunks and plays and steals and enjoys and yes works too.
I found no way to inspire her. I gave up with a decision to not to go back there ever.
I wanted her granny or herself to bind me to take her custody, to insist me to educate her to keep her at my house. I might have given her granny the money she thinks she could have earned.
However, when they themselves do not want to rise, why should I ruffle there freedom?
Therefore, I came back. Thinking and wishing that some day “kallo will visit me and ask me to help her. To help her because, she wants to and she deserves the help too.