A CRUSHING STEP OVER CHILDHOOD

A girl child after her mother’s death is one of the most unfortunate one when it comes to rural India. This is because the man over there does not take a second thought before getting remarried to another woman. After that, the girl child is looked upon by her grandparents either maternal or paternal.

Pratima who is 10 year old, lives with her father and step mother in Surat. She makes chapati while her step brothers go to school in the morning, makes lunch, wipes the floor everyday and also does some embroidery work on saris in free hours of afternoon, for which her step mother gets paid. For every question relating to Pratima’s education, his father Ved Prakash has only one answer, “She must be good to handle household chores, I cannot afford educating her”. But Ved Prakash can afford putting his sons in drawing and art classes. She is beaten up by her step mother if she is found tasting the Complan powder cause they are bought for her brothers, gets only half a slice of fruit if brothers get two and the cheaper clothes sold on roads...leaving a big question that what if Pratima’s mother was  alive??...and what if she was a boy...??

Another case is of Kajal, who was left by her father along with her siblings a year ago after the death of her mother. Her father got married to another woman leaving Kajal with no other option than working in fields.  Kajal who is 14, now works in the farms with her younger brother, whereas the other two sisters remain at home. Either going school or sending her siblings to school does not count as an option for Kajal because she is hardly earning her means. Though she gets some financial aid from her uncle, she tries to keep herself away from such aids because there could be chances that his intentions might not be good. At a very young age, when we think of refraining ourselves from school assignments, Kajal has had the rein in her hands. she stands strong alone with no one beside her but just the hopes and courage. Only if their father would not have left them, even these kids could have got their meals and meets.

Alike Kajal and Pratima, there are many children living in rural India for whom getting 2 time meal is a daily challenge...forget about nutritive food and education. Stringent laws need to be made so that village men like that of Ved Prakash and Kajal’s father think 10 times before getting remarried or leaving their kids on the mercy of relatives.

Posted by- Pandey Kavita

MACJ, PART-I