Little Hands, Hopeful Eyes

Hopeful eyes, or hopeless... i could not decide. can you?

I don't know who he is.. I don't even know his name.. Nor I asked.. 

How can i ask.. I was so numb..

Why do we feel so ashamed sometimes? So ashamed that we cant speak, cant meet eyes with someone.

On a usual evening, I met a traffic jam on my way back to office and suddenly I saw him, standing on a footpath with fresh jasmine flowers in his hand, with a smile fresher than his flowers. I see these street children everyday. But it never caught my heart the way it caught this time.

I was looking at him with no expression or emotion in my heart.. I was just staring at him, out of boring cars and shouting people because he was the only thing around that entertained me, His smile was very innocent very bright, very compelling.. As a selfish Human Being, I was looking at him just for my own entertainment.

Suddenly, A bike rider fell down, and his bike was all over him, When this kid runs over and helps the bike rider, He gives his little hand to the bike rider, helped him get up and helped him with the bike as well, simultaneously holding and balancing the stick with flowers which he was selling in the other hand.

Now the bike rider was back on bike, the little boy gave him a smile, But without saying thank you or a little pat on the boy's back he hurried on his way and the boy started counting his flowers.. 

It was almost like someone has slapped me hard and realization hit my face what am I doing? What are we doing? Where are we going? This child was between 9-12 years of age standing on a footpath selling flowers. Does he deserves that? Doesn't he deserves books in his hands? Doesn't he deserves to be in a school? He is an innocent child, if he can not fight for his right why cant we do that for him? Can we think of the same future for our children? would we be able to bear this if this happens? would anyone of us will let our 12 year old go out on the street...ah.. Thinking of it makes my spine cold.. Why we cant feel anything for others? We are Humans, We talk about change everyday, we get so much from our country everyday? How numb we have become? How cold blooded we have become? I started looking at him again, with a woken up conscience, which I know was temporary as usual. Tears ran down my cheeks but I wiped them before anyone could see.

 I feel ashamed of my existence, my Education, my morals.. What have I done up till now? Nothing..

If I am a literate, I have not used it for others and consequently not for myself if I haven't spread it.

My education has no value until I have not fulfilled its core purpose.

If I have chances, I have not used them. If I have contacts i have not used them.

If I have pen i haven't used it. If I have social media I have not even touched it.

Education was his right and he was deprived of it, He was a child labor as well.

He was selling flowers to people, but nobody was taking out thorns of illiteracy from his painful destiny.

He was helping people, but nobody realized he deserves to be helped.

He was doing his part, being an 12 year old he is helping people on roads with his little hands, he is selling flowers spreading fragrance love and freshness, and at the age of 26 what have I done for him or millions of children like him? even when it was in my hands.. I didn't do anything..

Even when I was not able to meet his eyes, I called him, i asked him to smile for the camera when I myself have tears in my eyes. He was looking at me surprised.. I bought flowers, he was giving more but i asked him to keep them with him..

He taught me Enough.. Enough..Enough for a life time..