The changing face of Indian Streets

In the next few days this picture will be a common scenario at the streets of Mumbai and elsewhere across the metros in India. Because its only the Metros where the Flags are sold on the traffic signals and India is the only country where everything is sold at the traffic signal. This is just to provoke the integration of the Indian values among the dwellers of this great country.

Don’t be surprised if you see this little girl begging post Independence Day in front of your car tapping on your glass to feed her something. I am not simply criticising the integration of the people who reside in the metros but also the poor condition of the street children. This little girl’s name is Khushi – I took this picture last year on the streets of Mumbai. And I am sure I’ll find her yet again selling off these flags this year too. The only trouble is millions of kids like Khushi ply on the streets of the super power developing India. What do we do about it? We just sit back in our cars, shrug or simply shout at them when they tap our windows and criticize the rising poverty of this country.

We never imagine that these kids are the growing face of India, Khushi and her friends tomorrow will be the face of India and what will you see them doing tomorrow? For someone who spends most of her childhood begging what can be the future like? Can you imagine if you would have to beg day in and day out to all the people around you what will be turn out to be? Imagine begging your own parents to feed you, your siblings to love you, your friends to be with you and care for you. In Khushi’s case neither of this is possible since she has none! These little children undergo different levels of social abuse, rape, drugs selling and other elements which are really not worth listing too.

And thus so called care free youth of emerging India what do we do? We are forced to forget all these things and concentrate more on our struggles of surviving the competition. The competition in studies among all the engineers of this country, to competition among all the MBAs, the competition of staying ahead of the competition itself. We just don’t want to divert our attention from our own problems so what we do is simply ignore. Ignorance is the best way to remain happy with your own life isn’t it?

Closing your eyes and enjoy the chalta hai attitude. We should be thankful that we have such a great life where we can sit back relax and read the blogs on the internet, have time to chat with friends, have plenty of good food to eat and few little problems of which we ourselves know the solution still we like cribbing about it. We ourselves have made our life so complicated that even when we have the desire to the help someone the willingness fades away!

This independence day when you walk on the streets of this city look around to find may of these little children trying to sell the Indian Flag to you in a hope that may be they can now fulfil their desire of eating good food one day, probably buy a new dress or may be just feel happy that they earned something.

If after reading all this you feel sorry for Khushi and her friends, tell me how can we make a difference by doing something exciting about for them. If you wish to volunteer theres a NGO in Mumbai since 1991 who work for these street children here is the link for you to register as a volunteer. http://www.voiceofchildren.org/volunteer_01.html

Lets make a difference. Lets make more and more children smile and secure the future of India.

Tell me how will you make a difference this Independence day…