Friday, June 3, 2011

INNOCENCE....




My bag is heavy,
       Yet feels like luck.
My food is cold,
       Yet tastes of love.

I see a board
       Spreading knowledge around.
I touch my pocket,
Hear money’s ruffling sound.

Here is my sister,
       We enjoy royal delights.
Here are my friends,
       We talk of fortune’s lights.

My mother is calling-
       Filling my room with toys
It’s Diwali again,
       Bursting crackers, I enjoy.

I hear the ‘Bell Ring’;
       “Get back to work, you jerk!”
I reach for my crackers-
       Not for fun but Work.

P.S.-written from the point of view of an eight year old forced to work in cracker factory.
I wrote this thinking about child labour. While my exams were on there was a news about saving 4 kids of 12 years from a detergent factory in Mumbai. Every day while travelling in local train, at traffic signals I see small children selling books or accessories when they should be in schools learning and shaping their future. News about children working in firecracker factory, detergent factory, weaving centres and similar places is so common. It is a painful situation for the entire nation because it’s our country’s future which is at stake. Child labour has to be stopped. True saying and writing all this is simple but executing an effective plan to stop it is difficult. But I believe if we start thinking today and do whatever is in our hands things will change one day.
Also 12th JUNE is celebrated as world day against child labour...

15 comments:

  1. I really don't understand why it is so difficult to stop ( spoken from and as an outsider) The us stopped this practice years ago. Tough laws and enforcement and the peoples support did it. Could you explain why it is difficult to stop?? I really do not understand and would like to. The poem was great and heartbreaking


    http://jpweddingphotograpy.blogspot.com/2011/06/explanation-of-lens-and-their-focal.html

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  2. child labor in India is still in practice. poverty has led to such situations where they drop their dreams to fill up their hungry stomach . a loaf a day is hard to achieve, so how can they think of achieving other ways of life in empty stomach. a full moon seems to be a roti on dark night plate.

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  3. Lovely post, Vaisakhi...musical lines with a great meaning! ..I appreciate your thoughts! :)
    Take care!

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  4. @jim-hmm somethings need to be eroded right from the root...n root of child labour is poverty n in a country of 1210193422 people...it is very difficult...but yes this needs to end n hopefully will end soon...:)
    p.s.-glad u liked it so much...thanx....

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  5. @fantacy-true this is a stark reality of not just india but so many nations of the world...

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  6. very well said ... Child labour needs ot be stopped and Every child needs ot be given a chance to do something in life ...

    Bikram's

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  7. important message well expressed!

    thank you for penning it so brilliantly!

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  8. Hey, Hi
    well, the lines were beautiful...

    and about the subject,well child labourers are the most common site in the street chaiwalas....
    hmm, we talk abt eradicating child labour, sending the kids to school n stuff, but have we ever thought why is it that they are working and not in schools in the very first place?? is it something like their parents dont want them to study? or is it like they have been abducted?
    the answers are many, but in most of the cases, its the necessity...poverty.
    govt can give them free food at school...(and no ones talking about quality yet) but then, who'll feed the hungry mouths back home?
    there is much more to it than meets the eye...
    its all relative...

    Nice write...


    Regards,
    The Silhouette...
    p.s.- welcome back.

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  9. @bikram-glad u liked it...n thanx 4 visitin my blog....hope every child gets a better bright future...it is a very sad scene to see kids workin riskin there life in an attempt to survive...

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  10. @silhouette-thanx....
    agreed there is so much behind this problm...poverty being the most basic reason..it is not easy...or rather no where never easy to end child labour...but its still sad...n it wrenches my heart...wish something can be done..wish something is done...wish this changes soon...we also have night schools...but nothin seems to be makin ne change...just somehow wish things to make a diffrnce soon n change this sad scenario...

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  11. dis 1 iz d most touching and beautiful creation of urs till date......itz really nice!!! i urge u 2 write more poems on social causes...

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  12. @apu-omg...thanku so much dear...dont 'urge' plz...:)...but i ll try to write more of such stuff 4 sure....:)

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  13. ok nt urge......i vud lyk 2 encourage u......:) n vud lyk 2 read more such poems 4m ur side:)

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