Edition # 8 -“The India of my dreams.” By Nikhil Nair

(As expressed by a child of the slums)
As a child we always dream of fantastic places with fairies and all, but my dreams were about school and my life there. There are no fairy-godmothers in this one.

I was walking up to my school and in the place of small thatched rooms stood a solid building. My school had a solid roof and a tiled floor throughout the corridor. My room had solid wooden chairs in various colors! There were fans, lights that worked! And my teacher… boy she was the most different of all. She wore no stern expression; instead she had a welcoming look on her face. That calm and benign look kept me at ease.

The park nearby that had just one slide, a stench and a lot of filth, now had become a wonderful playground. Soft grass, benches, the open gutter was nowhere in sight! I played for what seemed like ages. It felt as though my life had turned around.

I would return home to my mother, and I found Papa there as well! He said he did not have to work overtime any more. He said that I would finally get those books I wanted and that toy car that I said Rajesh had! And guess what! Mama was making rotis for dinner; I had never had rotis when there were no special occasions. And a spanking shiny ‘fridge in the kitchen, packed with pastries and chocolates! Wow, this was it; this was where I wanted to be all my life.

Good schools, good playgrounds, good food at home, brand new books, toys, everything in one day! Was this a dream?

Unfortunately it was, now as I look back, I certainly wish that my childhood had been like that. I certainly wish that that were the country I was living in. I certainly wish that that were MY INDIA!