The lost childhood

By the Students of Himjyoti School

Child Labour is one of the major causes of under-development of a country. India is the second most populated country and child labour is deep rooted in India. Poverty makes people indulge in undesirable activities like thieving and encourages poor parents to send their children at a young age for work as labourers. Some children work as domestic servants, others as ‘coolies’ at construction sites and yet others in factories, mills or industries. Those who do not find work beg on the streets of the city and search in garbage bins for food or wait patiently outside hotels and restaurants for some measly morsel to fall their way, as food is one of the basic needs of human beings.
Child labour is now a major concern and to eradicate this evil the Indian Government has passed many laws. These include compulsory and free education for children below 14 years of age; no child below 14 should be employed in mines and industries where they inhale noxious gases and their physical growth is stunted. Even though these children work hard, they barely get enough money to buy two meals a day.
Life is strange and full of difficulties. Residing in a great school like Himjyoti, we should gratefully acknowledge our luck and opportunities offered to us.

By the Students of Himjyoti School

By Pooja & Manish, (VIII)

Child Labour is one of the major causes of under-development of a country. India is the second most populated country and child labour is deep rooted in India. Poverty makes people indulge in undesirable activities like thieving and encourages poor parents to send their children at a young age for work as labourers. Some children work as domestic servants, others as ‘coolies’ at construction sites and yet others in factories, mills or industries. Those who do not find work beg on the streets of the city and search in garbage bins for food or wait patiently outside hotels and restaurants for some measly morsel to fall their way, as food is one of the basic needs of human beings.
Child labour is now a major concern and to eradicate this evil the Indian Government has passed many laws. These include compulsory and free education for children below 14 years of age; no child below 14 should be employed in mines and industries where they inhale noxious gases and their physical growth is stunted. Even though these children work hard, they barely get enough money to buy two meals a day.
Life is strange and full of difficulties. Residing in a great school like Himjyoti, we should gratefully acknowledge our luck and opportunities offered to us.

By Savita & Ruchi, (VIII)

Poverty compels children to work as labourers. In India the children of backward societies are not facilitated and so they prefer to work to fill their empty bellies. Child labour has also increased illiteracy in the country. It is the cause of death of many a child, it is the cause of permanent physical damage of lungs & spines. Parents need to be educated and made to realize that sending a child to school is not a waste of time or money. Basic education is the right of every citizen of India. So avoiding child labour is a stepping stone to making our country a better developed one.

By Gayatri & Meenakshi, (VIII)

Child labour is the basic problem of India. It is more a rural phenomenon than urban. Due to acute poverty, poor families residing in villages, send their children to cities. Children are sent to school for their future development, but the poor just want to fulfill their immediate needs by working at construction sites, in hotels or as servants.
Our constitution has given all a right against exploitation. Along with this the children have a right to basic education. Children from the ages of 6 – 14 years can get free education in schools. Parents should be educated about these laws so that more and more children get educated. Parents should be made to see that with education their child will soar higher and higher and will be capable of touching the sky.

I love….

By Manisha Nayal, (VI-B)
Army School, Birpur

I love my father,
Who works for me
I love my mother,
Who takes care of me
I love my brother,
Who plays with me
I love my friends,
Who help us always
I love my teacher,
Who teaches me
I love the god,
Who gave me everything?

Teacher

By Sahil Kadian, (VI-C)
Army School, Birpur
It’s you who make us read, write and understand
you are our father, mother and a good friend
it’s you who make our future bright,
it’s you who burn like a candle to give us light.
It’s you who in the bright sunshine of life give us shade
You are the best friend of a student that god has ever made.

Tina and the ghost

By Janette

(Janette Biddulph (66) studied at Wynberg Allen in Mussoorie and worked as a warden for 20 years in Reputed School (e.g) Mamta Modern Secondary High School (Delhi), Raja Ram Mohan Roy Academy (Dehradun), Pestle Weed Collage (Dehradun), Col Brown School, Cambridge School (Dehradun) She began writing for children in 1977. She has been living in Dehradun since 1958).
"Darling, the glass must have fallen from you hand as you were half asleep, and the splashes must have reached your face." Now come with your Papa for a nice long ride. If you are good and promise to forget your bad dream I shall buy you a big chocolate." Dad kept his word, first he bought me a lovely big chocolate and some chewing gums, then he took me for a very long drive which lasted for hours; I forgot all about my bad dream, just like he had told me.
A week went by peacefully, once again, I woke with a terrible thirst and also wanting to go to the toilet to make water; Mummy gave me water to drink and said, "Darling please go and do susu [piss] in the drain."
I got off the bed and went to the drain and made susu. As I was about to get up; I found that my hands and legs refused to move. I called loudly, "Mummy please come and help me for I am stuck." Mum came and tried very hard to lift me, in fact she tried many times, but just couldn't; so she caught my hand in hers and put the other hand on my head and said The Lord's prayer [The Our Father] and mum lifted me up in her arms and carried me to bed..
I looked back over mum's shoulder, and saw the Bogeyman, he was shaking his fist at me and shouting loudly, yet only I heard." Once again you have escaped me, but next time you shall definitely be mine."Again, held lovingly by my mother I slept till the sun was high in the sky. My father came to wake me saying,
"Come along my Sleeping Beauty for breakfast or the Bogeyman may eat it all up for you."
"Daddy, who told you that the Bogeyman came again and tried to take me away, but my mum again saved me. Now I am not afraid for I know that God will always help mum to save me.? Daddy, really the Bogeyman is very tall and has huge fiery red eyes, he is very fat and has huge teeth, he also has a huge mouth, as big as our drum; I am sure he intends eating me if he can get
me."
After breakfast, my sisters and brother left for school, Daddy left for work while I, who was just five years of age, studied with my Uncle. Today Uncle brought two copper coins with holes in them [old one paisa]. He put them on a black cord and tied it round my neck. "Now
No Bogeyman will disturb my Little Angel. I did all Uncle told me. I recited my poems and learned half the Our Father, which my Uncle insisted I learn. Two hours later, studies over, I went to mum and showed her the cord with the copper coins which Uncle had tied round my neck I also told her what he had said about the Bogeyman." "Yes, my sweetheart, don't be afraid, remember, I told you that God would always give me the strength to look after my child'" Mom said giving me a loving smile. Mum must have realized that as evening drew near; I would fear the oncoming night even though most nights Daddy took all of us for a drive; only sometimes leaving me with Uncle and mom that, is if Uncle was there.
Mum noticed that all the attacks made on me were either on Thursday or Friday; on these nights, mom let Dad take me with my sisters for a long drive. The drive usually lasted till 3 a.m.. I would reach home fast asleep in one of my sister's lap and had to be carried inside the house and put to bedOne morning, Mum spoke seriously to daddy about the Bogeyman, saying, "I could feel a presence near my bed late last night; also very deep breathing. I too am feeling afraid now in this house. You better look for another place, far from here for I don't want anything happening to my children." "O.K. darling, I shall start house-hunting from today as I have always trusted your instincts," Papa said, calling and taking all the others to their respective schools.
I finished repeating the Lord's Prayer and also the Hail Mary. "Today you will learn one verse of Psalm 23, then ABC and 1-2 - 3, also some spellings. We are starting late, so we will work for three hours." "But Uncle, I have already bee studying for one hour with mummy," I sad. "No harm Angel, for next year you will start school with your brother and sisters, and I am sure you will want to stand first in your standard[Class], which will make your mom and Dad very proud of you." Uncle was always very loving and kind to me; I think he could even make a DONKEY do his bidding because of his sweet tongue. Who was I, but only his favorite niece? I simply loved him and would do anything for him.That night, after eating dinner, Mum and Uncle laid beds in the verandah for all of us. I as usual slept with Mum. She and Uncle were talking, at first I listened but soon fell fast asleep. I woke with a start to fee someone pulling my hand, I clung more tightly to mummy, this woke her and she too could feel the pull, so she called, "Bob! Bob! Wake up, HELP us for someone or something is pulling Tina from my arms. It seems to be succeeding. H E L P," This was a loud scream from her, which woke Uncle who jumped out of bed and grabbed my arm, near the elbow. I was being pulled by the Bogeyman, mum who held me tightly against herself with her two arms wrapped around me. Uncle gripped my hand and the Bogeyman stretched forth his long hand and jerked the cord off my neck and threw it in the drain. He looked even bigger than before. When he pulled the cord, it cut my neck and I screamed very loudly. I could see and feel Mum being pulled closer and closer to the Bogeyman. I was trembling through fear, when suddenly a light seemed to burst in my brain; and I started saying the Lord's Prayer loudly. Uncle and Mummy joined in the prayer and our combined faith and with the blessings of Jesus, had the effect of making the Bogeyman very angry and, before he was forced to leave us alone, he gave me a very hard slap, which had the effect of making me scream and scream, and I kept on screaming till Uncle took me in his arms and walked up and down the verandah, repeating the Lord's prayer.
I went to sleep with his voice in my ear, cradled in his strong, loving arms around me. I was still sleeping in his arms when Dad' my sisters and brother came home. They all made a circle round me and Dad looked worried nut asked in a calm voice, "What happened?" Uncle told him the happenings of the night. "Well I have booked another house far from here, where I am sure that Tina and the rest of you will be safe, but we will have to wait till the first, which is eight days away." Dad had really been talking to To be continued...