Childhood lost

bangalore: nagaraj is a pint-sized boy, not more than eight years from the look of it. the innocence and curiosity so typical of a child his age have not deserted him. he is always scruffily dressed, his face streaked with grime, his hands all the time soiled and his bare feet cracked and dirty. in fact, his fatigued, overworked feet look old and wizened already.thin and scrawny, he is boundless energy all the same, gambolling and frisking about on church street, a road always on overdrive, as much arterial as neighbouring m.g. road and brigade road in boomtown bangalore. there is mischief written all over his face, but look closely and nagaraj''s eyes tell a different story. a story of resignation to his fate. he hides his sorrows it appears behind all that hyperactivity. the facade drops sometimes, and you catch him stealing wistful glances at children luckier than him, well-dressed, well-fed, clutching toys and whizzing past in classy cars. he wonders at the disparity, his childlike wisdom unable to grasp the meaning behind it. the rich-poor divide, why some people should have it all and others nothing puzzles him. why isn''t everybody equal...the unfairness of it all! but once again, typical of a child, he won''t dwell on all this too long. he comes back to the present, frisks about, attending to duty. nagaraj is unlettered, never been to school, but he is employed and street smart. he looks after some of the cars parked on church street and collects the fee from vehicle owners. and he takes work seriously, never shirking it. his days are long, and on a regular basis it is close to midnight when he reaches home. his old grandfather accompanies him to work, but he is not much help, the boy says. work is distressing — he is bullied, given the short shrift, it is squabbles, arguments and haggling over money with some intemperate vehicle-owners. nagaraj has lost out on life''s most precious phase: his childhood. a victim of circumstances, even the influences in his growing up years are not right. will he grow up to be a responsible adult with the right values, right approaches to life? or will he be another lost cause? society, the governments have a stake and will have to answer for nagaraj and many more in the same predicament.