In the Circus

Trring……Trring……….

The school bell rings.Eight yr-old Ravi runs very fast & reaches the school gate.Two minutes later,the gate is closed.Ravi stands outside the closed gate & watches the students going into their classrooms .He sighs heavily & walks to the nearby teashop where he works as a cleaner for a meager Rs.300 p.m. & begins to wash & clean used glasses.

Ravi’s mother is dead & his father,a drunkard, always beats him up & takes away his hard-earned money which he wishes to save & join in school.Once,a circus comes to his city.He listens to school children talking about clowns,various feats performed etc. & longs to see it.One evening after returning from work,he goes to the circus place & tries to take a glimpse of what’s going inside through the big curtains.

Few minutes past…a heavy hand lands on his shoulders & he looks up…It’s the circus master.Seeing his torn dress & untidy face,the circus master asks him if he would like to work in circus & offers him to pay Rs.1000 p.m.Ravi is excited.He can save lot of money & go to school…wear uniform… make friends… study very hard… become a big & great man one day.His dream is going to be fulfilled.He readily agrees.

Working in circus was not so easy.Lot of work to do…brooming & moping the big floors,washing utensils & clothes,massaging the circus master’s body & many more things to do.He even cannot go home…got very less food to eat.He was very tired & exhausted all times but his dream kept him going.Only one relief was that he had made friends with a girl of his same age named Diya who used to perform feats in the circus. She used to teach him few tricks & feats.

Oneday Diya happily comes to him & says that the next day she is leaving to Mumbai with a man who is circus master’s friend & that there she can learn to dance & also can go to school.Both the friends jump with joy & dance merrily.Ravi wishes his dream too to come true soon.Diya bids him farewell the next day & leaves with the man unknowingly that she has been sold into trafficking.Now Ravi feels all alone. Few days passed…Ravi was cleaning the floor.He sees the tall rope ladder & thinks of doing a feat which Diya often did.Looking to his sides & confirming that none is around,he quickly climbs the ladder & tries to imitate the feat…… Thud…..Ravi misplaces his leg & crashes to ground.Blood flows beneath his head…He is surrounded by people.He looks at the high ceiling of the circus & sees his dream disappearing.

P.S. Friends,Yesterday(18th Apr,2011)Supreme Court banned the employment of children in circuses based on a petition filed by the“Bachpan Bachao Andolan”& directed the Union Govt. to take immediate steps to rescue all the children engaged in circuses.It said that mostly children are sold to circus owners either by agents or relatives or by parents getting lured of promises like high salaries & luxurious life.But in reality,the children are subjected to very harsh treatment depriving them of even the basic needs like food & water,forcefully detained with no access to their family,some instances of sexual abuse on daily basis,as well as physical & emotional abuse.Most of them are later put into child trafficking.Next time if you got to circus don’t cheer happily & clap If u see a child performing. Remember that their basic fundamental right of ‘right to education’ under Art.21A & their freedom is being violated.Call a nearby police station & help that boy or girl out of that place.