Tough Lives Colourful Smiles!

Few days back I got a chance to visit Chintapurni Mata (a religious place in North India). I went there with my family and everyone in the family be it be young or old, all were excited about the journey. Our religious journey began early in the morning and we reached there by 10 A.M. As it wasn’t my first visit to the place but still I couldn’t remember much about the place as I was just a kid when I had last visited the place. So even I got all excited with the small kids in the family and we all started our march towards the temple.

As it was the holiday season going on so as expected there was a lot of rush and we were to stand in long queues which took almost 2 hours for the devotees to reach the main temple. None had much to do in the queue so mostly people were idling, gossiping or simply checking into the shops coming in the way making sure they dont go out of their queue. While I was noticing all of them I got to see a small girl, must have been around 3 or 4 years of age, who was dressed as “Devi Ma” (Hindu Goddess), sitting fixed in one place having a round plate in front of her where some people were offering money as an offer to Devi Ma.

My heart pained to see that scene and as I was discussing the same with my father, few more girls came near us. Those young girls were so cute and adorable to look at but what was shocking was to hear them asking for Kanjak (an offering made to young girls at certain Hindu rituals). First I thought its summer vacations going on so they all are enjoying their time but when I asked them if they go to school and they all shook heads saying no.

First I thought to convince them all to go to school and tell them how important it is to have primary education but realized it will be a futile effort as they all are doing what they have been taught by their parents and upbringing of the society. I knew it was of no use to argue standing in a queue, so just simply asked them if they would like to go to school and as I knew the answer before hand it was a big no again. They were all so concerned about the money which some of the devotees were offering to the Kanjak Devi’s.

Just to keep the conversation going with them I made a reference to a TV commercial of Anupam Kher and a small girl which comes to promote the primary education, asking those small girls that if they seen that TV commercial. Some of them nodded while others remained quiet. I said the add says “Padhega India, tabhi to Badhega India”, and you all are the future ho India so if you wont study then how will our country progress. They all looked at me with something in their eyes as if saying to me why am I just saying and not doing anything for them there. While our conversation was going on some devotees who were standing around me in the queue stared at me probably wondering that in there superstitions that I will be damned for saying such a thing to Kanjak Devi’s or thinking that may be it should really be stopped.

The girls stood there for sometime and then went to receive the offerings while I just kept thinking all the time if I could really do something for them. Cant we just help these girls tied in the chains of superstitions and let them break free into the world of innocence where kids know how to play and learn. Wondered how could their parents even expect to have an earning hand from them. While I was still hoping to let these girls also have a life of there own just like all kids of their age have, I passed from the place where I took the above picture.

Here these innocent girls who are abetted by superstition and people’s misbelief, drop school and pose as “DEVI MA” (Hindu Goddess) or “Kanjak Devi” for monetary benefits, escaped the eyes of their parents and got content with the makeshift swings and colourful accessories. Innocent enough for these girls not knowing that the material for their makeshift swings and the colourful accessories they used was an offering made in the main temple by the devotees. I just thought that if human beings are harsh on such soft lives, its the Goddess of Herself is giving them a playground to enjoy, play and learn.

Nevertheless, these kids Smiled and Made Me Smile! And I moved on with the hope that may be one day the scene would change and the superstitions fixed in the mind of the society would give enough space to the kids to have a life of their own