Wednesday, February 13, 2008

To the boy with the rusted cycle

Another day and I was waiting for the bus at the stop. It was getting late the bus should have been at the stop 10 minutes ago and I had a test. And at that moment, I saw a familiar face, he was a kid must be in his mid teens, I smiled at him and he smiled back but the smile did not reach his eyes.. there was this sadness in his eyes . There was a honk and before I could turn back my attention to him again, the boy was gone. He was far away on his cycle that looked pretty old and there was a pile of newspaper in the rear seat. This chap was surely not my newspaper boy but then who was he? Where had I seen him??

I pondered over him all my way to college and then I forgot. Later I remembered he was my 5 years junior in school and he had a look alike sister very enthusiastic and charming kids they were but their father, the sole breadwinner of the family died a few years ago in a gas explosion.

This is pathetic; the kid is selling the papers when he is supposed to be preparing for his boards. It is unfortunate people like these who are supposed to get the scholarships and other aids from the government and not the people who are “economically stable but belonging to what they refer as ‘lower castes’ ” when will the government realize this? When are the politicians actually going to work for the people than for the power??.. When will the boys like him smile the true smile ???