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Poonam Vaze

Drama Inspirational Children

4.7  

Poonam Vaze

Drama Inspirational Children

Long Pens

Long Pens

6 mins
396


It was a typically crowded road junction of my town. As the signal went red my rickshaw stopped at the signal. I was traveling back home from college. The traffic congested badly giving scope to several beggars and hawkers to earn their money. From toys and flowers to sari covers and cheap accessories , the street vendors had it all to sell to their prospective customers. The fidget spinner was the current attraction at the traffic signal.

But my story is about a kid hawker who sold long pens.

" Didi please take a packet of long pens. Only for Rs. 20/-." A street vendor boy said to me.

He was about ten years old kid holding two packets of long pens. He had tucked the plastic bag containing the remaining set of long pens on his waist line . His face was tanned but it sparkled. Hair was overgrown but neatly combed. The clothes were old but not so dirty. Though he looked much clean than the other vendors and hawkers, his sight irritated me. Everyday I met him at the same signal joint.

" I don't need them. Please shrug off. " I said to him angrily.

" Didi please take. I will have my lunch. I am hungry. " The boy replied folding his hands and giving me a pale expression. He eyes were staring at the eatery packets I had kept besides me in the rickshaw. It was my habit to pick some tasty takeaway food while coming from the college.

"Don't I know your begging tactics? You must be a part of some begging mafia gang. I am sure you will smoke some low grade bidis with my money." I said to him crossing my hands tightly.

"No didi really I am hungry. Take my pens. I don't beg. I sell them to earn my livelihood. Please help me earn the money. " He requested. His facial features sagged as he looked at me with his dull eyes.

"No go away." I fired back, moving my head away from his sad face.

"Didi you have lots of eatables besides you everyday. Today, you have some chips and cakes. I am hungry. " He said looking at all the yummy eatables besides me.

"You are acting too smart little boy." I said completely irritated with him.

The signal became green. My rickshaw started moving ahead and I thanked God thoroughly.

The next day, I met him again at the same joint.

"You have come again to sell your dirty long pens," I said giving a short snort.

"Didi do you have pizza in your bag?" He said looking at my take away food packet. I immediately took the bag and placed it on my lap.

For the first time, I felt bad for him. 'It's just a matter of twenty rupees.' I thought.

Instantly, I took out a twenty rupee note from my purse.

"Give one packet of those long pens," I said handing over a twenty rupee note to him.

He looked overjoyed as if he had some big treasure in his hand.

"Where will you have your lunch ?" I asked him interrupting his joy.

"Didi there is a famous vadapav stall near the factory lane." He pointed his finger out in the left direction.

"Everyday I smell the aroma of hot vadapavs. They are so tempting. I will have a vadapav at that stall. Thanks Didi. " He said still overjoyed with the receipt of his twenty rupees.

The signal got green. This time I didn't thank God for making it green . This time my eyes wished to savour the visuals. As the rickshaw headed forward, his joyful sparkling eyes were still looking at the twenty rupee note which I gave him. I turned and took my face out of the rickshaw to see the little boy's jolly face.

Next day , I didn't go to the college. My exams were just around the corner and I decided to study at home. It was a lazy afternoon and I was not at all in the mood to study.

Fiddling with my books in laziness, I remembered I had kept the long pens in my purse. I took them out and started jotting some study points with those long pens.

As my hand wrote, the long pens moved side to side in a fascinating manner. I enjoyed the way it swayed with the movement of my hand and my boring studies became interesting.

I was always a mediocre student. Surprisingly, I topped my semester exams. In less than no time , I became the talk of town. My friends started calling me 'The Dark Horse and 'The New Topper'

Everyone asked me how and what turned the tables around for me? I said because of my long pens given to me by an angel boy.

I recollected the conversation I had with that boy for the last time. Wasting no time, I went to the vadapav stall near the 'Factory Lane'.

I saw him sitting on a broken shabby wooden bench eating his vadapav . He was relishing every bite of it.

' He must have blessed me after every bite.' I thought.

It was his blessings that contributed to my success. I attracted positive vibrations as I gave positive vibrations and the result had to be positive .

Cuddling with my soft toys on my huge bed, I wondered that night:

'We have so much to give but we are always reluctant to help others. I mean a mearge amount of twenty, I was reluctant to give to that boy. We spend for our luxuries in malls. Extravagant hotel stay cost us an arm and a leg . But we become misers for the needy.

The joy on that little boy's face was priceless ...

The way he was relishing his vadapav was priceless ....

The way he gazed at that twenty rupee note which I gave him was priceless... '

I got some priceless luxuries and joy with a mearge amount of twenty. Its rightly said the more you give the more you receive.

Unable to sleep, I switched on the television. Honorable Prime Minister was addressing an encouraging speech on 'Atmannirbhar Bharat'.

'ATMANNIRBHAR (self reliant), in real sense. ' I thought as I remembered that little hawker boy.



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