CHILDHOOD LOST - HUNDREDS OF HOMELESS CHIILDREN AT JAMA MASJID

With the penetrating sound of the pious azaan at 4.30 every morning, all comes to life in and around the magnificent Jama Masjid. The hustle-bustle of the colourful Mina Bazaar, the glittering stalls screaming their lungs out to sell their merchandise, and the deafening noise of hundreds of people walking and prattling is so captivating that amidst all these noises and activity, what goes overlooked and unnoticed are the hundreds of homeless children living in pathetically inhuman conditions in the lawns adjoining the mosque.
These children mostly belong to neighboring states. While some had come to Delhi in search of work, others had fled from their homes to evade studies. The rest are orphans. These children are often found picking garbage from bins in the hope of finding some edible leftovers, the older children bullying & beating the younger ones, hurling the vilest of abuses, and snatching away their food and belongings thus leaving the younger and weaker ones to perish in hunger– ironically, in God’s own abode (the Mosque), the rule of the jungle prevails (survival of the fittest). Few dedicated NGOs are working in the area to provide atleast the basic necessities (mid-day meal, clothes and toys) but they too have their limitations. They are dutifully imparting basic primary knowledge to this unruly and disinterested lot of children, but they fail to infuse in them the essence of humanity, civility and brotherhood sans which the children might at the most become literate but not educated. Because of the unhealthy conditions and unavailability of proper food and medication, most of them are suffering from one or the other internal or external disease. To make things worse, the local drug peddler has lured the gullible minds into drugs, thus making most of them addicts at this tender age. The penniless hungry young girls are being forced into prostitution by the local dictator-duo named 'Faujia' and 'Parveen'. The sheer enormity of these children’s woe is beyond the comprehension of the privileged lot and an exact picture of their anguish and destitution can never be painted with black letters on paper.
It’s strange that what calls for the immediate attention of so many NGOs, fails to grab even the peripheral sight of the government, thus defeating the entire idea of a ‘welfare state’. In troubled times, when help from all quarters fails to reach us, we are left with no option but to turn to God. Thus, I saw a blind child at the exterior gate of the masjid, who unlike all other beggars begging for money, stood facing the bright sky with the loose end of his tattered kurta in his hands and calling out ceaselessly “Allah rehem, Allah rehem, …….(Lord have mercy)”. The government and the system have turned a deaf ear to the miseries and plight of these little children but hope the SAVIOUR (Allah) lends a benevolent ear to their innocent pleas.

BY : SHUBHRO SEN