On the noisy and bustling streets of Connaught
Place, with her colourful beaded necklaces wrapped around her neck
and arms, she tags along the ambling tourists, putting to use her baffling
knowledge of an array of foreign languages, trying to persuade them to buy her
necklaces. Ask her where she learnt to speak so many languages, she replies
with a proud smile “here, on the streets”. Eleven year old Karma is one among
the many such children who have not only made the streets their ‘office’ where
they earn their bread and butter, but also their tutor, everyday learning a new
trick of survival!
Induced into selling necklaces at a tender age of five, Karma can speak in English, French, Malay and Arabic which she calls “Muslim wali angrezi”. Her day starts as early as six in the morning and ends as late as ten at night. With her father being an alcoholic, leeching on the money her mother makes by selling the necklaces, she has no choice but to fill in her fathers shoes to ensure they do not sleep with an empty stomach at night. But she doesn’t complain, “I like it, at least I get to eat at night” she says, maybe this is a virtue that you learn on the streets, to fend for yourself and be content in what life gifts you. When questioned about her abstinence from school, where she could learn many more new languages and also grab a meal, an awkward ‘silence’ is all she could give as a reply. Though her mother was quick to retort back sarcastically saying “lo milgaya khana” (yes you get food). But karma’s silence said it all. Her longing to be the child she is, to not have to bear the responsibility that is originally her father’s to carry could be clearly heard in her silence.
To survive you need to be ‘street smart’ and these children epitomize this. They not only manage to persuade their costumers to buy their necklaces for double its actual price, but also manage to grab a few extra bites asking people for their food. “The puppy face trick works” karma says as she goes about asking for food when she sees someone with something that tempts her. “I like ice-creams and chocolates” is what she says, but can not buy one for herself, so she has to make do with asking people for it.
Induced into selling necklaces at a tender age of five, Karma can speak in English, French, Malay and Arabic which she calls “Muslim wali angrezi”. Her day starts as early as six in the morning and ends as late as ten at night. With her father being an alcoholic, leeching on the money her mother makes by selling the necklaces, she has no choice but to fill in her fathers shoes to ensure they do not sleep with an empty stomach at night. But she doesn’t complain, “I like it, at least I get to eat at night” she says, maybe this is a virtue that you learn on the streets, to fend for yourself and be content in what life gifts you. When questioned about her abstinence from school, where she could learn many more new languages and also grab a meal, an awkward ‘silence’ is all she could give as a reply. Though her mother was quick to retort back sarcastically saying “lo milgaya khana” (yes you get food). But karma’s silence said it all. Her longing to be the child she is, to not have to bear the responsibility that is originally her father’s to carry could be clearly heard in her silence.
To survive you need to be ‘street smart’ and these children epitomize this. They not only manage to persuade their costumers to buy their necklaces for double its actual price, but also manage to grab a few extra bites asking people for their food. “The puppy face trick works” karma says as she goes about asking for food when she sees someone with something that tempts her. “I like ice-creams and chocolates” is what she says, but can not buy one for herself, so she has to make do with asking people for it.
Their dreams are molded to fit the picture frame of the street; it starts on the street and ends there. “I want to sells malas (necklaces) when I grow up” is the reply you get when you ask karma about her dreams for her future. Her wings of aspirations have been clipped by responsibilities and her financial situation. Then again you feed on what you get, and karma has always been fed by the streets, which has provided her with means of earning her bread, butter and shelter.
One can say that we have a lot to learn from these children. Despite the lack of resources and freedom to be their age, they are able to make the best of any given situation that even people with access to resources fail to do. The sense of responsibility rather than bending their shoulders and making them weak, strengthens them and teaches them to overcome the hurdles of life, in turn making them more mature than their counterparts who are oblivious to the hardships of life. The intelligence that these children possess is remarkable, but then again the credit goes to their ‘tutor’- the street!
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