"Aey Raghu...!"
Raghu turned back and started walking towards his little sister Roli, feeling proud of himself after having successfully bargained for 2 samosas for Rupees 2 instead of 5 from the vendor near his shoe-shine corner by the sidewalk.
Roli, 5 years old sitting by her brother's worn out wooden shoe shine box waiting eagerly for him to be back by her side. Raghu, 9 years old knew very well that her little sister who had started accompanying him for work since last 6 months, was not yelling for the hot samosa but her ever curious mind had another question for him.
He with Roli in tow starts his day about 5 in the morning at the dump-yard rag picking, he was told by experienced rag pickers, early bird gets the worm. Then early afternoon,he sets up his little shoe shine kit on the sidewalk near the big buildings , which has some offices and shops. Later half of the day he makes the round of automobile repair shops or goes to railway stations to try his hand as a porter, most often unsuccessfully, as stations nowadays have designated coolies and no one is interested to give this short , thin , tiny framed 9 year old to haul any weight. On a lucky day the mechanic in the repair shop employs him as helper.
"Raghu, these madams going inside the building everyday, How many footwear do they have ?"
"five...sometimes six"
Roli likes being along with her brother, apart from rag picking, she hasn't learned any other work. She looks up to Raghu, she likes how he knows everything and never answers with "I dont know" for any question she has.
"Do you think they can have so many?" she asks raising her tiny hands showing all her ten fingers.
"that's ten, No that is too many. Nobody has ten pair of shoes"
"Why?"
Though Raghu is very fond of his little sister and never gets tired of answering her questions, but at times it does get a little difficult figuring out the answers. However, he knows he has learned a lot with his close to 4 years of experience working and living independently on the streets, and knows with conviction that he has answer to all her questions.
Raghu explains, "Because girls like colors, and there are not more than five or six, and they have one of each color."
"What about boys ?"
"They have about two, brown and black. See that's why I have black and brown polish to shine them"
Satisfied with the logic, Roli smiles at her brother and shifts her attention to samosa he brought for
her. Both are looking at the barrage of people and cars on the road while enjoying their hard earned samosas.
A group of nearby school students pass by them, Roli notices a boy and urgently pats Raghu's shoulder with one hand and points her finger with other, towards this boy in skinny jeans and bright red shoes with white laces.She then looks at Raghu, not questioningly but confused.
Raghu looks at the shoes observantly and then at the boy wearing them. He turns to Roli and tells her matter of factly, "Those are not real shoes."
He continues, " The boys who work and earn money wear real shoes , black or brown, the ones I shine.This boy does not work so he is not wearing real shoes."
Roli didn't quite grasp the concept, but nodded her head signalling she understood. She believed him because she knew Raghu was always right.
Raghu turned back and started walking towards his little sister Roli, feeling proud of himself after having successfully bargained for 2 samosas for Rupees 2 instead of 5 from the vendor near his shoe-shine corner by the sidewalk.
Roli, 5 years old sitting by her brother's worn out wooden shoe shine box waiting eagerly for him to be back by her side. Raghu, 9 years old knew very well that her little sister who had started accompanying him for work since last 6 months, was not yelling for the hot samosa but her ever curious mind had another question for him.
He with Roli in tow starts his day about 5 in the morning at the dump-yard rag picking, he was told by experienced rag pickers, early bird gets the worm. Then early afternoon,he sets up his little shoe shine kit on the sidewalk near the big buildings , which has some offices and shops. Later half of the day he makes the round of automobile repair shops or goes to railway stations to try his hand as a porter, most often unsuccessfully, as stations nowadays have designated coolies and no one is interested to give this short , thin , tiny framed 9 year old to haul any weight. On a lucky day the mechanic in the repair shop employs him as helper.
"Raghu, these madams going inside the building everyday, How many footwear do they have ?"
"five...sometimes six"
Roli likes being along with her brother, apart from rag picking, she hasn't learned any other work. She looks up to Raghu, she likes how he knows everything and never answers with "I dont know" for any question she has.
"Do you think they can have so many?" she asks raising her tiny hands showing all her ten fingers.
"that's ten, No that is too many. Nobody has ten pair of shoes"
"Why?"
Though Raghu is very fond of his little sister and never gets tired of answering her questions, but at times it does get a little difficult figuring out the answers. However, he knows he has learned a lot with his close to 4 years of experience working and living independently on the streets, and knows with conviction that he has answer to all her questions.
Raghu explains, "Because girls like colors, and there are not more than five or six, and they have one of each color."
"What about boys ?"
"They have about two, brown and black. See that's why I have black and brown polish to shine them"
Satisfied with the logic, Roli smiles at her brother and shifts her attention to samosa he brought for
her. Both are looking at the barrage of people and cars on the road while enjoying their hard earned samosas.
A group of nearby school students pass by them, Roli notices a boy and urgently pats Raghu's shoulder with one hand and points her finger with other, towards this boy in skinny jeans and bright red shoes with white laces.She then looks at Raghu, not questioningly but confused.
Raghu looks at the shoes observantly and then at the boy wearing them. He turns to Roli and tells her matter of factly, "Those are not real shoes."
He continues, " The boys who work and earn money wear real shoes , black or brown, the ones I shine.This boy does not work so he is not wearing real shoes."
Roli didn't quite grasp the concept, but nodded her head signalling she understood. She believed him because she knew Raghu was always right.
