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A new post in the series - When a Picture Leads
A special post on the occasion of Children' Day
A new post in the series - When a Picture Leads
A special post on the occasion of Children' Day
But I didn't want to. I knew reading, writing and numbers. I wanted to learn weaving from my father. I wanted to use my artistry and make new patterns, bring more income for our family. But they shut down the factory.
Who decides what children like me need?
Now I am stuck in this shanty they call a school. No teacher ever comes here. Some other people come, give us free food and leave. I don’t want free food, I want to earn my food, also earn some more to help my father. If only I could learn weaving from my father, who learned it from his father. But they shut down the factory.
One day a lady from that big school in the rich colony came to my school-shanty and saw me drawing a pattern. You are good, you should practice more, she said. And gave me a sketchbook and a set of coloured pencils. I took them home. I drew some patterns, even used different colours.
The nice lady came back after two weeks. I showed her the sketchbook. She was very happy and told everyone in the class to clap for me. I didn't understand. She told me that some pages from my sketchbook will be put up on a wall in the mall in the rich colony so people there can also see my drawings.
But I will not be able to see them, I thought. I didn't tell her that I never go to that mall. Nor do my friends from the basti. She took my sketchbook.
I didn't want to see my drawings on that wall in the mall. What will that get me?
I wanted to see those patterns on the carpets. Carpets that I will never weave now, because they came and shut down my father’s factory.
“Help the poor while the poor are with thee;
but study also and strive that there may be no poor for thy assistance.”
– Sri Aurobindo, Thoughts and Aphorisms

To see previous post in the series, click here.
To see all posts in this series, click here.
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To see previous Current Events stories, click here and here.
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Linking this with ABC Wednesday, S: S is for Silenced
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