Why Not Quit

Being Swapna’s B’day, 17th Feb, as usual, a family outing and dine together. We assembled from two directions at 2.00 past at Essex Farms, a place we used to go from days as back as Swap and Lizu were a little bigger than Chakku. This time the food was not worth its money. As can be expected, u know !
That’s OK. But I have made a resolution that day, “I will not dine in a Restaurant of that sort, henceforth, for a different reason.
While we were busy with the stuff served, there came a family stylishly attired women and men. They were five of them. One of the women was also mother of a baby. The Baby was being carried by a teenager, who, I suppose, may not be over 12. The girl was shabbily attired, looked frightened and confused. Soon the ‘Malikin’ mother took the Baby and lead the carrier girl to the green lawns outside the restaurant for her to wait until they finish their ‘cosy’ meals.
On the way out we saw the baby sitter sitting and munching a roll of dry Chappatis which may be a left over of previous night. I was wondering, why the woman offer the ‘baby sitter’ a child herself, the food she eats. The lady wants her little one be looked after by the teenager at her best attention and without any harm and discomfort to her child. On the other hand, she refuse the other person, a child herself, the basic right to food, cloth and a human dignity. I may not have explained it in its severety owing to my constraint with the language.
It pained me, irritated me, and saddened me. I wanted to call the dining family and ask them to behave. I also wanted the ‘child labour’ issue be brought up before the police. I could’nt do anything. For reason that my family will not support me for sucha an act, they would yell at me asking me to mind my own business, not to spoil their moments of fun. That way, I am sure, lakhs of poor children are treated brutally every where, and will continue so unabated so long poverty prevails in the ‘shining India’.
I have decided, I will not dine in a food joint where a poor child will be kept out starving or with a roll of ‘sookha’ roti. Also it is a sheer waste. Why not quit !