It was one of my usual day out. Auto, metro, ricky,et al...It was great to see my good ole campus again. As I got yet another 'fuccha hai' look from the 'recently promoted seniors', I brushed aside my urge to give them a thumbs down for mistaking this alumnus as a fuccha. Uh oh forget it Gitu- i thought. Kids na, let them enjoy their newly accquired status. Seniors indeed! :) 'Surprisingly' my job was done without any hassels with the office-wallas and without queueing up... Actually strange for me, who have to make ten rounds for one goddamn thing.

I hired an auto from C-Sec to Lajpat after a brief spat with the auto wala bhaiyya who was overcharging the fare. Though I usually don't feel like bargaining much (like my dad), I was in the mood to today, maybe coz I still had a lot of nerve to spare. Uff...! This traffic na!! As we waited for the red light to turn green, a child hawker came to me in a bid to sell some pens. I usually avoid eye contact with them so as to escape further pestering. But I don't know why, I looked at her- I had to. Ten rupees for a torch wala pen.. She continued with her art of salesmanship...all those "do din se kahana nahi khaya hai didi...aap ka bahut bhala hoga didi...ek pen le lo didi..." etc. i asked her,

"school jaati ho?"despite knowing she doesn't, for sure. And that liar! She said -

"haan jati hu." So i cross-questioned-

"kaunsi class mein ho?"

- no reply-

"school ka naam kya hai?"

"..pata nahi...yaad nahi...uss taraf hai..."(pointing towards some airforce headquarters!!!).

"kya kya sikha hai?"

"yaad nahi hai abhi..."(that big time liar!)

"jhooth bolti hai?"

"nahi didi sacchi...!! school jati hu..please pen le lijiye...aapka bahut kaam aayega..."

I decided to buy one. At least she isin't begging. She's selling. Imaandari ki kamayi afterall. Moreover i needed the small little torch in it for emergency. I just managed to hand out her deserved ten bucks before the signal changed. But she left me wondering... Will she spend her entire lifetime selling pens in traffic signals? Does she even know how to hold the thing she's selling? Should I have bought the pen afterall? Am I encouraging her way of life? In child labour? This is child labour, is it not? how long?? Will she never learn to even spell out her name? Hold the pen in the right way? "...didi aapka bahut kaam aayega..". Arrey,toh phir uska kaam kab aayega life mein?

SHE LEFT ME FAZED...

That's when i decided.

I am enrolling for Teach India Campaign rightaway . They need us.