LIFE AT TRAFFIC SIGNAL - Guwahati's Street Kids

 Can India begin to channel some of the creative energy of its twenty-five million street    children? 

As my IIT-DUTY bus came to a halt at a traffic signal on the way to Pan Bazar, Guwahati, a bunch of children dressed in the shabbiest of clothes came running towards me. They showed me variety of items and tried to sell them to me, while a teenage girl held an infant in her arms and begged for money for his food. I was feeling too down to see the same thing happen at every traffic signal until I reached my destination.


We might be the biggest democracy in the world, but we are also home to 25 million street children across the country. According to a UNICEF report, almost 50,000 street children die every day in developing countries, and 25 per cent of them are Indians. These children often suffer from hunger and have no access to clean drinking water or sanitation. They often sleep on pavements, and sometimes you will find an entire family that have spent a few years of their lives under a large expressway or flyover. They change location when police officers drive them away, but once the situation cools down they come back.

Lakhtokia Railway Bridge is a roof of around 1000 poor people of  Guwahati. I have seen how they collect water from the broken pipeline of water in their broken bucket to survive their livelihood.

 The children who work at traffic signals in India are often taught different strategies by their parents or elder brothers and sisters. A eleven-year-old boy told me, he normally targets expensive looking cars because that’s where he gets some pocket change. He said he never wastes time on small and “middle class” cars.Such is the mindset of a seven-year-old boy who sells boxes of tissues in the afternoon and sleeps on the street every night in the hope that he will make more money the next day.

 Meanwhile, when I was living Kota, Rajasthan for the preperation of IIT-JEE one 9 years old girl came to me who sells coloured pens for 10 rupees each, said she normally goes to the cars where she can spot children: “It is easy to persuade children because they immediately start crying for it and then their parents have to buy it.” That girl told me that their “bade bhaiyya” (Big Brother) got the items for them to sell. They must also give whatever they earn during the day to him. These children often indulge in theft, stealing cell phones or handbags at traffic lights.

They also look forward to Valentine’s Day, when they sell a bunch of roses for Rs. 20/pc. As soon as the light turns red they run up to every couple, a bunch of roses in their hands. They say things like “didi kitni sundar hai, iske liye le lo na” (she is so beautiful, take it for her).


On Weekend they have different strategy to earn money.They held in their hands a small steel container filled with oil. On the top of the container was a picture of Shani Dev, the Lord of Saturday, worshiped widely among Hindus. Shani is considered to be a very powerful god. It is said that he gives us the results of our deeds throughout life through appropriate punishments and rewards, so people increasingly believe in giving money on a Saturday to please him. The street children know the significance of Shani Dev in the lives of Hindus, and they use this to earn a living.


  I asked one boy what they do with this money. Do they give it to a priest in a temple? “Are you mad? We give it to our parents and they pay to…...”  Leaving the sentence unfinished, she ran to the other children. There was so much excitement among them. Each one put their hand inside the container to see how much they had collected so far.

It was not a good view. But I was impressed by the never-say-die attitude of these children. The methods might be wrong, the act might be wrong but their attitude is not wrong. These children work from morning until evening, eat whatever they can gather from the garbage nearby; sometimes if they are lucky they can find a half-eaten pizza, otherwise they live on dry bread. But when they see the lights turn red they leave everything and run to work.

Numerous non-profit organisations and non- government organisations are working to

educate

these children so they can improve their standard of living. The government has been sponsoring midday meal schemes in schools for children so they are tempted to come and study. But despite having both the right material and the right facilities, we have failed to blend the two together. Only when the creativity of these children is correctly channeled can we hope for a better future for them.