That's life!

He is hardly twelve but has the responsibility of a thirty year old. No school to go to, he has a job of a shoe polisher and perhaps the responsibility of running a household in this age of inflation. He roams around my workplace requesting people to tidy up their shoes. Few let him do the honours while most are too busy to even respond to a tiny request. But that doesn’t deter his spirits; he continues day in and day out. Afterall, his living is at stake and maybe other’s decision decides his next meal.
The amazing thing about the boy is that poverty hasn’t invaded his happiness or killed his innocence. He is still happy-go-lucky making conversations with regulars like me. The only problem is that I am not a potential customer as I don’t wear leather shoes. He cribs but doesn’t miss a chance to strike a conversation with me. He talks his age and is good with numbers (unlike me) although he hasn’t seen the gates of a school, ever. It’s amazing what series of institutions have failed to teach me, life has taught him a skill to sustain.
He never begs for money but demands for an opportunity to earn his livelihood. And if you try to give him on charity, he bluntly refuses and asks you to give him food because most of the time he doesn’t make much. Every time he is hungry and the stomach makes growling sound. But the sound is overpowered by his beautiful smile that makes his blemishes look good too.
Recently, a photo-shoot demanded us to shoot people outside the office. We shot few pictures of him to cheer him up. He posed confidently infront of the camera, smiling to the shutter bag. It was a beautiful click and wish we could model him. But he was in self-doubt and said, “I know I am dark and I have multiple marks on my skin so how can you say the picture is perfect?” Life hasn’t been easy to him and he is fighting his bit every day. He wasn’t complaining at all but just acknowledging the facts. A learning lesson for adults like us who are forever sulking about our flaws, beautiful people who fuss over their looks and spare no moment to bore talking about their supposedly not-so-perfect features.
That day this small boy of 12 taught me the essence of living. He taught me to accept imperfections with a smile and still continue fighting out. He showed me how easy is it to get into self-pity and think of our problems as the worst that could threaten humankind. Look around and maybe then we can see how fortunate we are, lucky to have a family who love us the way we are, grateful of the job we have that takes care of our bills. Lavish meal spreads laid out for us to feed our hunger and our monetary edge that lets us afford the gains.
I’ve volunteered to make life few rupees easy for the boy to survive. This coming year, I do resolve to buy a leather shoe to make the boy earn his livelihood. Wish people with leather shoes had some time to spare and help the young lad make enough to survive. Hope, that isn’t too much to ask, is it?

Pic Courtesy: Google Images