'Chapagaun' 'Chapagaun' "Didi Chapagaun jane ho?" (Do you want to go Chapagaun?) This was what that small approximately nine or ten years boy asked me when I was at Lagankhel. That was my first encounter with him. He looked exactly like one of my students of grade nine, so I even asked him, are you brother of Ashis Gurung? Ashis, right now he is my grade nine student. So, I asked his name. He didn't speak a word. He looked very cute with innocence in his eyes. I wanted to know more about him. But he was not interested to talk to me rather he was busy taking account of his money that he had collected from the passengers. But I further asked him. "Timi Ashish lai chinchau?" (Do you know Ashish?) Finally the boy replied replied me. He was very polite and shy, " ma chindina didi" ( No, I don't know him sister.) I really felt sorry for him that he was working as a conductor in the micro bus when he was supposed to be going to school. So I even asked to Ashish if any of his cousin has started working in a micro bus so that we could talk to their family members and enroll him in a school. But Ashish replied that he doesn't know any relative working in a micro bus.
I couldn't get away from those innocent eyes that he had. So next day, I again waited at Lagankhel with the hope that I would be on his micro bus on the same time. But he wasn't there. I thought he may not be working but may be he was there just for a day. So somewhere inside I was happy that he was not a conductor. But after a fortnight he happened to call me again, "Didi Chapagaun jane ho?" (Do you want to go Changagaun?) This time the voice had slightly changed. He was a bit loud to me. I looked at him. He didn't recognize me but how could I forget those innocent eyes. They were so mesmerizing that they would take away anyone who looked at them. I didn't reply anything just went and sat on the seat silently. I don't know why I didn't want to talk to him that day and I don't know the reason even now. I don't know what I was feeling. Was I feeling happy? as, I was being able to see his innocent eyes once again, or was I feeling sad ? as I didn't want to see him shouting so loudly hanging in that packed micro bus. I had no words to express for him. But suddenly a middle aged woman spoke to him and I dismissed my thought and concentrated towards their talk. She asked him whether he could even add the fare or not? The boy nodded his head positively. Then she kept on asking about his home and school. The boy thought felt irritated but answered those questions.
His home was at Thecho and he had read up to grade five. But he didn't say the reason why he had left school. The woman kept on questioning the reason but he just kept silent. So many questions were on my mind but I didn't question him any as he was too irritated to answer. Next day on wards, I started to see him frequently. Now he has started to recognize me but also he doesn't talk with me. Even I don't ask him anything. I just observe him. He has changed a lot. The boy that attracted me with his shyness has now turned rude. I sometimes find him even speaking slang and remember the first day when we had spoken so politely. And now when I look in to his eyes, I still find the innocence but somewhere I can see the hollowness inside. I have the feeling that the innocence will also slowly fade away like his politeness in the near future.
I want to warn him for it. But how can I? Sometimes I want to talk to him about child right and make him aware what Nepalese law says; to work in Nepal as a child, you must be at least 14 years old, and that you can work for no more than six hours, and you must not work during 6 p.m to 6 am. hours, you must get a brake of 30 minutes after 3 hours of work and nobody should pressure you to work. But instantly I realize these all are only in papers eventually I can't dare to face him and even ask him what his problems are so that he is working in the micro bus as I know I don't have any solution for his problem.
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