Whenever the topic of child labour is discussed anywhere, in terms of being the only resort to help the underprivileged children and their families or the more often debated, of being a curse on the social hierarchy in a society,what comes to my mind is the image of Tarrannum, one of the child labours that influenced me to a very large extent.
Tarrannum was a 14-15 year old girl that worked in one of my distant relative's place in Lucknow. My relative is an old aunt of my father and we had gone to pay her a visit two summers back. That was the first time I met Tarrannum. And what I had always seen domestic help's children as,she was so very different from them!I had always seen how full of work and annoyed did they used to be.They were mostly trying to avoid work and leave chores unfinished.You felt sympathetic and often a selfish nature among them could be noticed,though not always. But Tarrannum was so different, and that was what struck a chord in me.For her,work was like the best thing that could be given to her! Every morning she used to greet all of us a very good morning and start working on folding the bedsheets. Her constant humming was a reminder that she enjoyed what she did.And it was not as if she had no other work in her own home.She never had lunch or dinner at our place since she had to cook food at home and look after her two siblings along with her mother.I could not comprehend that how a girl her age with such load took life with such zeal!
" Bibi, aaj toh Ichha aur Tapasya ki dosti ho jayegi na!Aaj to tv pe wahi dekhungi yaad se!" (Ma'am, today Iccha and Tapasya will become friends! I'll watch them on tv today!)-this was what Tarrannum said to me one day, when I asked her why was she hurrying up with her work in the evening.She was referring to a daily soap which she used to watch everyday.Hearing her, what struck me was the fact that how a simple thing such as tv could make her entire day so happy and merry!Life was always like a light feather for her, and her relentless nature to stay gleaming was the reason that I started adoring her so much.
The day we were leaving I asked her whether she wanted anything from me the next time I came.She said she didn't want any anything, very promptly.But I still pressed and then very excitedly she took out her Eid's suit and said that she loved the lip gloss that shimmered as it would look good with the dress.She then said,-"Aap agli baar ek choti lip gloss la dengi?"I happily said yes,and that smile in that spur lasted the entire day on her face.She was a victim of child labour, but I cannot forget Tarrannum's smiling face that touched my heart so profoundly.It's been more that two years now and I still recall how happily Tarrannum led her life.Her one smile was enough to make her and my entire day. Had Tarrannum been given good education and much better opportunities in life, I imagine the kind of happiness she could have spread around a lot more people. People who cannot be happy because they haven't got a promotion yet. People who cannot be happy, because they got stuck in a traffic jam. People who cannot be happy, because someone called them fat. It's one thing to be sad, a different reason altogether to never be happy with life's blockages.
So why can't we work towards being a happier society? Because, we don't know how to. Because, we can't look for the reasons of being content. Because, we are too selfish.
I truly hope and pray that even today, Tarrannum gets up every morning with that sunshine smile.
