I’LL OWN A SHOP SOMEDAY

“Chai”, “Chai” yells Chotu as he tollers along the streets of his neighbourhood. The Sun shines brightly in the sky, as the young boys and girls line up to catch their school bus. Chotu stands and stares as the children hurriedly climb the bus. School seemed like a dream to Chotu.

As he looks at the crowded school bus leave with a splash, his thoughts wonder back to those days when he used to be a happy and content, though poor, child. His family consisted of a mother, a father, 2 elder sisters and a younger brother. His father owned a small piece of land in their village which he cultivated every year for 3 months. He also used to do odd jobs for the idle parts of the year. His mother worked as a labourer in the rich zamindar’s field. The total income was roughly adequate for two meals a day.

Chotu was a very jolly boy. He was a very good runner; in fact, the fastest among his friend. His friends used to call him “railgaddi” or “the train”. Though he never went to school, he was always eager to learn.

But the good times did not last long and Chotu’s family went into the dark. The marriage of his 2 sisters led to a lot of economic crisis in his family. They had to sell their land in order to meet the “demands” of the grooms’ family. They were illiterate and so was unaware of the fact that dowry was against the laws. Slowly, their conditions seemed to be improving, until one dreadful summer day, his father committed suicide, leaving all the problems upon him and his family. After that tragedy, he was forced to move to the city to earn a living.

He first joined a cracker making factory where he was beaten and subjected to the harsh effects of tobacco. He worked for 12 hours a day for a meager 50 rupees. Yet he was content. He dreamt of owning a shop someday. But luckily or unluckily, the police raided the factory, arrested the owner on charges of child labour and closed down the factory. Chotu was jobless.

He loitered around for 3 days without any food or proper shelter. Nobody was ready to give him work as he was younger than 15 years. Then one day, he found a job in a roadside tea shop. His work was to make tea for the passersby at Rs.4 a cup every morning.

“Ek Chai dena please!” Chotu suddenly wakes up from his thoughts. Handing a cup of tea to that kind looking lady, 12-year old Chotu says to himself “I’ll own a shop someday.”