India's Children
Trip Start
Unknown
1
10
Trip End
Ongoing
Pushkat,
Rajasthan,
India
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Over the past 3 months I got to see children in every shape, size and color in various settings: from the streets of Delhi to rural Rajasthan to fishing villages in Kerala and Tibetan exile schools in Dharamsala. Whenever I got the chance to talk with them, I asked them two questions: What do you want to become in life and if you could choose a country, where would you travel? One polite kid said Germany, but the rest of them said U.S. – to “meet Obama” as many told me (Is there any country out there where he wouldn’t win presidential election?)
Muslim girls in Jaipur
. The answers about career plan were more surprising. While most children in Europe and the US want to astronauts, firefighters or sausage makers (well maybe that’s Germany specific), by far most kids in India said “IAS Officer” … you know corruption is a problem if most children dream of becoming bureaucrats… Anyways, one of the more depressing impressions I had is that many children were robbed of their childhood. Not to idealize childhoods in the “western” world, but by and large it is a pretty careless time. Many children in India don’t have this privilege – one example is Suraj (pic), a 9 year old boy we met in Pushkat (a city whose main attraction was a lake without water). He was our guide – showing us around, recommending stores & warning us from the local thieves. At the end, we wanted to buy him candy or a toy, but instead he asked for a pound of butter for his family. A second sad aspect is the missing solidarity among many children. Growing up, sharing was the most natural thing (which has serious consequences having 7 siblings). If you live on the street, you simply cannot afford it. On one trip to the poorest part of Jaipur, we bought some candy for street children. Doing it the German way, I asked them to stand in line so I could give one to every child. Once they saw the candy they grabbed the bag, tore it apart and a fist fight started for the sweets lying on the floor.
However, the most memorable images are the hordes of children we met in the villages, playing with Chucky, showing of their shiny white teeth when posing for the camera. What remains is the rather simplified conclusion that you are better off as a child if you live in rural India - but maybe that's just the farmboy in me.
