Diversion

I was taught child labor in sociology only for the exams. We understand the reality of everything when it comes to our life experiences. I have an experience like that.

Some years ago, I went on a field trip from my school. It was a trip away from Kerala, to the outskirts of Karnataka. We went to a hotel for breakfast. I used to tell stories, jokes and stories with my friends and teachers. We were having fun each other. The flies were buzzing over the table.

Suddenly, a ten-year old boy came across our table, our jokes and funs froze. When we saw him, we looked each other face to face because he did not come there to eat with his parents. Then why did he come there? Yes, he got there to do his job; to wipe out the food particles and glasses from that table, and to clean it for the costumers. He is only about ten year. When I saw him, the words of my teacher about child labor stroke my mind. Truly, that scene shook us all.

We all say that the most beautiful period of a human’s life is childhood. Then, who pushed this little boy to these humiliating jobs from his happy moments? Who put the plate and class in his hands instead of books and toys? When I saw him, a lot of questions like this started to explode in my mind. It was the first such scene in my life. My teacher’s words “we are all social beings” began to ring in my ears. It was then that I began to realize that I was a social being and to raise the hand for the society. 

We all love to travel a lot. I am one of them. But it was the little boy’s face that made it clear what kind of trip to choose. We have heard that there are slums in big cities and a lot of impoverished families live there, begging for a piece of bread. When we go to the big hotels in such cities to dine, remember them. There are a lot of children, young and old who are fighting for their lives on the other side, and we are obliged to visit them, to give them a helpful hand. Remember! To fill an empty stomach gives more happiness than overloading your own stomach beyond what it deserves. At last, let me quote the words of Anne frank “No one has ever become poor by giving” so, give and grow...