I saw this little girl on the marine drive walk way one evening carefully packing her wares in a card board box. The day’s business was done and she was going home. She was quite business like, methodical, with all the instincts of a survivor in this tough,cruel world. She has no management or marketing degree to earn her bread but she knows how to do it by practical experience. She also knows if she doesn’t sell she will starve for the night.
She must have had a good sale for the day. I can see she was happy. I quietly followed her. She headed straight to a roadside vendor bought something for her to eat. I suppose this is a way of rewarding herself for doing a good job. No one is going to praise her if her earnings are good and neither does she expect it.
Then she happily talked to a lame beggar on the way and they had some good laughs. Then she walked briskly, business like munching what she bought.
She is a little girl of the world and there are millions like her. They have no play time, no education, no comforts and luxuries but just work for survival all the days of their life. In time she will grow up, get married, have children and teach them the same thing- how to survive this tough and difficult world. She will continue to work, have her ups and down, joys and sorrows, trials and tribulations, times of grief and tragedy perhaps more than any one of us and she will bear them very stoically placing her complete trust in God.
Isn’t she doing God’s work on earth in her own simple ways?
Joseph, it is sad to see a child of any age having to work just to buy food. fortunately we don't see it here but it would break my heart if I did. Working age comes soon enough in life
ReplyDeletebut to miss out on a childhood of playing with friends, laughing and going out to places of enjoyment is a very sad world indeed.
Take care.
Yvonne.
Joseph if you go to my blog page Award Time there is an award for you.
ReplyDeleteYvonne.
yes she is...i do hope that children get to keep their childhood as long as they can but circumstances do not alway dictate that too happen...
ReplyDeleteUnfortunate that this is something that happens all over the world. Depending on where you live, is where you see it. In some places they cannot "work" . They resort to begging ,and stealing. I have'nt seen a child this small in my travels, but i have seen teens up to elderly.
ReplyDeleteHomeless. Humans will do what they have to, to survive its our nature.
This is very interesting to see. Your pictures always speak.
There is no balance, Joseph. Here we overcame child employment and have gone to the other extreme. Yet they still have no freedom to be a child because parents are so afraid for their safety they refuse to allow them to mix or play out with friends. Better that though than the sad life of the child you saw. Or is it?
ReplyDeleteDear Mr JP, it is heart rending to see poverty and misfortune rob childhood in the lives of millions of unfortunate children in our chountry.They are victims of cruel economy, injustuce and ignorance.
ReplyDeleteMy own adopted sister Sonia was one such rescued child.
These poor children know no other life. They have to earn for themselves and their families.
What about the anti child labour laws in our country?
I notce fewer children working at the roadside eateries these days though, at least in the better parts of the city.
I don' t know if there is a solucion to this delima.
So sad that the child is losing her childhood!!!
ReplyDeleteChoolanur Peafowl Sanctuary
Office Style - 12
Sir
ReplyDeletePainfully we have to admit all these...
We need to effectively enforce control over the growing population. This seems to be the root cause.
ReplyDeleteWhat I love about her is the contentment that she has...she is happy and contented unlike children who have everything and still get caught in drug abuse.
ReplyDeleteLife plays different games for each one of us....we must thank God for all the blessings he showers upon us and should request him to bestow us with a peace of mind that would keep us happy and would give us strength to bear the ups and downs in life.
Thanks for such a soulful post Mr. Joseph :)
When everyone screams from the rooftops
ReplyDeleteabout the cruelty of child labor, yours
is a different view point for sure.
Focusing on the silver lining
in the dark clouds :))
I liked the happy look on her face. As you mentioned probably the sales for that particular day was good, and also the thought being photographed by a good man was yet another reason for her to feel good.
ReplyDeleteI pray that she is always blessed by God, and guided in every step of her life.
Thanks for visiting my blog : can't wait to see your patiently taken pictures of the lotus.
Hello Sir,
ReplyDeleteas long as they dont know the taste of luxury , they will have the amile on them and thats the best part of it ...
a different & beautiful post :)
HELLO JOSEPH I HAVEN'T BEEN AROUND TO SEE IN QUITE SOME TIME. EACH TIME I DO , THIS TIME INCLUDED , YOU ARE DISHING OUT STRONG MEDICINE IN LIFES LESSONS..I AGREE WITH ONE OF YOUR EARLIER COMMENTERS CHILDREN SHOULDN'T HAVE TO WORK TO EAT SOMETHING IS TOTALLY MISSED IN LIFE WHEN ONE DOESN'T HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE THAT CHILD. TO PLAY , TO LAUGH, TO IMAGINE , DISCOVER AND CREATE.HEALTHY FOOD FOR THE SOUL
ReplyDeleteSadly, this child is losing or maybe have already lost her childhood to soon.
ReplyDeleteHi Nick:)
ReplyDeleteI am not able to post my comment in your post. Kindly check up. Best wishes:)
Joe, it is sad. She is robbed off her childhood and thrown into the harsh adults' world. Over here, we have a controversy of children having all the opportunities on earth but they chuck it away and refuse to take schools seriously.
ReplyDeleteNamaste:
ReplyDeleteIdeally a child would not have to work at all. However that is not the reality of the world and it varies from region to region, country to country. Now in some parts what the people/children do is not defined as work persay rather it viewed as part of the life one is born into. Take me for example, as a child one of the things that was a must was carrying water, we had to fetch water to drink, bathe, eat, wash, we did this first thing in the morning before going off to school and last thing at night before going off to bed. It wasn't specific to only children everyone was doing it, it was the way of life. I was also going to the Market at 6am Saturday mornings, as well as the grocery. We washed, clean the house, cook, planted corn, peas, figs, etc. It was just a part of life.
I guess it would depend on one's prespective. If one lived with privelege and wealth to which all their needs were cartered to then they view on this will be very different. Of course there is also the other side of the spectrum where child labor is exploited, that is another subject all together, because then we are talking about slave labor and that on any level is no good for man, woman or child.