Children of Varanasi Ghats

Whenever I attended a seminar or a conference, all I get to hear is about the ‘young and shining India’. The words are not merely themselves; they carry a unique contribution in the development of the nation and individual in it. But it has been a striking conflict within the neurotransmitters of my brain, which disturb the chemical balance whenever I hear these lines; the fortunate or the entire young crowd of the country is within the frames of these lines? I wonder!

This article deals with the inequality been observed upon a visit to the banks of Ganges river in Banaras. It was sunny bright morning, but it different for us as a part of educational trip visiting the place. But for the young group of 5-7 children been there from their birth was not new. This group is of children selling baskets of flowers and has been doing so from their birth. Many of them, who could not afford to purchase their flowers and baskets, were either begging or silently observing the huge crowd of we people present there. There was no hatred in their hearts but there were dreams within their eyes. These are the dreams which encounter many of them but are just ignored, maybe because they do not form the part of the ‘young India’ which is often described by elitism and fortune of birth. I introspected myself to get out with the facts of why they are not part of the young India? Or why are they not considered relevant for the development?

To get the answers to poking instincts, I stopped introspecting and started interrogating the young visionaries present there. To lay down a conclusion for their dreams is impossible, for as there are such dreams which maybe are just demands of we people and often are fulfilled by parents. Parents? Are the parents’ only sources to lay the future of the child or is it even the shared responsibility of society to prove egalitarianism in distribution of resources?

While writing this article the hurdle faced was to define this group of children and to overcome this hurdle, I decided to name them as ‘young visionaries’. Upon questioning their lifestyle and family setup I get to know the brute realities of the society or won’t be wrong in saying the brute luck of these young visionaries. All of the 5 children I had a talk with did not go to school ever, rather they were nurtured in such a way that their brains was now not in favor of attending school. They were rather focused upon earning a few bucks to manage a meal for themselves. This part was not astonishing, but was assumed. Still the emphasis upon education of these children lay within the policies of government, but will and desire to counsel them to enshrine the importance into their minds and into the minds of their parents, is/was never seen, rather never felt important.

Raising the question of family statuses and lifestyle was astonishing to some extent. The siblings sharing the part of resources were to the count of more than 10 in number. The entire family setup was so designed that, each of the born child was considered as an extra income part of the family. Each child means that there is an increase in the sum of family income, irrespective of the expenditure increase. The factor of family growth in terms of membership could also be analyzed in terms of the lack of sexual knowledge and family planning within the minds of parents. The daily resource distribution takes place in order of providing the highest of meal quantity to the Father and/or to the member who earns more. The women of the house are only limited to the chores of personal arena. But on the contrary few women are also working and managing the family works. During the time female of the family are on work, the childcare of infants is of no question, rather a meal is the priority.

Further answers made more awestruck situation, as in many of the female young minds complaint of being beaten up by their father after being drunk. It was made a point if they know that drinking alcohol was a bad habit? But, the reply was just silent and the eyes of the visionaries got deepened and wandered towards the Sun, as they were searching enlightenment.

I do not want to be judgmental or sympathetic at all, as a learner it comes to my duty to understand the situation/s and work upon my professional ethics. Moreover to be so I would rather be empathetic upon being human. I cannot change the definition of what young India is for the people or how young visionary can be part of young India? Just amused by the efforts of government and even on the part of society in which we form the basis for the growth and development, but ignore the basic crux of the society.

Government should accordingly frame policies upon considering every part of the society and even the needs of the desired. The dreams of these ‘young visionary’s’ are equal responsibility of we people as it belongs to government and their parents. The basic reason for this lies in the resource sharing principle; what already we exists with us, should be passed upon to the needy and so should be in continuation till the equality is achieved.