Anupam- The Dreamer

There is a little boy aged about 8 years. He lives in an orphanage in the outskirts of the city of Delhi, as his parents died in a car accident when he was very young. He was brought to the orphanage by a good samaritan and he has lived there since. He polishes shoes of people who visit the place, so as to make some money to buy books. Once a couple visited the orphanage and was intrigued by this child, when the young kid requested the gentleman in his feeble voice “साहब, जूता polish करवायेंगे? Please साहिब करवा लीजिये ना, 1 रुपये में मैं एकदम चमका दूंगा”. The gentleman stopped immediately and turned towards the child while looking at his book which caught his immediate attention and asked “बेटा, ये किताब तुम्हारी है?” To which the lil child retorted “हाँ, मैं पढ़ना चाहता हू। बहुत पढ़ना चाहता हूँ। लोग कहते हैं कुछ बनने के लिए पढ़ना बहुत ज़रूरी है, और इसलिए मैं जूता polish करता हूँ।”. Then, the gentleman asked the child “बेटा तुम्हारा नाम क्या है?” The child in his innocent and sincere tone told “अनाथालय में मुझे सब छोटू बुलाते हैं, पर जब मैं स्कूल जाऊंगा, तब मैं अपना नाम आलोक (Alok) लिखूंगा।”. The gentleman asked the meaning of the name, to which the child responded in a confident manner “मैनेजर साहब कहते हैं, अलोक माने रौशनी।”.

The above story is not a work of my imagination, but if you put pressure on your grey matter, you would recall that this is the story of the child Alok (played by child artist Smith Seth who later grew into Salman Khan) from the movie “Baghban”. Alok was supported by Amitabh Bachchan in his quest to study, who got him admitted to a good school. Eventually, Alok went abroad to study in his youth and eventually rose upto the position of a high-ranking official in an automobile company.

The point here is not to write a critical review or a narration of that movie. The point is that there are so many Alok’s around us, who don’t need charity from someone. They want a life of dignity and respect, and they are willing to work hard to get the life they want. Alok in the movie, did not beg, you see. Rather he worked as a shoe-polish boy to earn the money needed to buy the books. This is just a representative story of many of such children who want a better tomorrow for themselves. All they need is a little support from the generous people and the people in power, who can make a positive difference to their lives.

The image of Alok is a powerful reminder of what incredible feat a humble child can accomplish if given the right conditions to flourish. So, what does every Alok really need from the society? Nothing much, just the basic things like good healthcare during the infancy and early childhood, proper nutrition, good education facilities in the schools and basic support from the society. That’s all! Everything else is an add-on.

You may be thinking, why am I repeating the name Alok again and again. It is because, the child in that movie used this name to imagine a better tomorrow for himself, where he doesn’t identify himself from the name “chhotu” given by others, rather he had a dream and so he was determined to create his own destiny and make a name for himself when he grows up, not just figuratively but also literally.

We can see there are so many like Alok in the society around us. Some of them are selling balloons in the market area, some are working on the construction sites, some are aiding their parents in their work to earn some money, some are working as house helps, some are washing dishes in the roadside dhabas, some are sitting in the temples waiting for prasad, some are selling pens on the traffic signals, and yet some of the ill-fated ones are seen begging on the roads and in the trains. The response of the society to such children ranges from outright rebuke, to feeling pity about them, to some generous ones giving a coin to them, or to buy stuff from them. Some charity can bring a little relief to the child for the time being and help him/her buy food for himself/herself and family. But, does this empower them to become another Alok? Certainly not!

All it takes is a little support from the government, from the public servants working in the healthcare and education sector, civil society organizations, and generous citizens who can contribute to the well-being of every needy child, so that he/she can build a better future for himself/herself instead of indulging in child labour. And in turn, can become an asset for the nation in particular, and the world in general in the long-run. And only by doing this, can we think of becoming a developed nation tomorrow which has a place for every child alike, whether rich or poor. So, the next time you see an Alok, don’t just rebuke him outrightly. It is just a matter of fate, that you are not born in his place. He also deserves a life of dignity and respect, just like you. And if you can give him nothing, then atleast give him courage to fight the adversity. Because, who knows your two cents of encouragement and wisdom can also do wonders for such children. It doesn’t matter, if you can’t do this for every child. Even if you can do for just one Alok, you have already made the difference 🙂