Letter changed the life of this poor boy!

THE PAPER

-By Sarah Khan

Once on a warm day when the perpetual skies of summer were buckled with clouds and they flared up in a luminous way, a small boy walked with a pile of bricks on his head along with other laborers.

They were arranging bricks to make the wall for completion of a house. The boy observed a random paper among the pile of bricks that had perched by the flow of wind. Beneath the cheerful smile of the boy, there was a discern of gravity, a hint of anxiety on his face that defied his age. The boy had a gripping fascination towards reading but due to being devoid of proper schooling, he was unable to. 

Suddenly he heard his contractor shout, "Ramu, where is your attention? Focus on your work. We've so much left." Ramu quickly folded that paper and kept into his pocket. Then he resumed his work of carrying bricks and putting them to the other place. He wished to enquire literates regarding what was written on that piece of paper. It seemed to be a letter. 

After evening approached and all workers dispersed, Ramu wandered on the roads of his village and asked one of the men about the letter. The man replied that the letter was in English and for comprehending that he would need to reach the city as there weren't English reader here in the village.

On reaching the city, Ramu consulted a bespectacled woman. As she was made to read the letter, she was surprised that it was the letter she had sent to the post office for her son who was studying in another town wherein he had a hard time passing his exams. She asked whether how Ramu recieved this and where. Ramu replied that the paper flew to his construction site.

"What? Construction site!" the lady was shocked to know that a small boy of about 9 years of age was not into the schools but on a construction project. The child's enthusiasm of reading the letter touched the lady's heart and she recalled a statement by Malala Yusufzai that she used to teach her son- "One child, one book, one pen and one teacher can change the world." The woman decided to talk to the other labourers regarding this as a child labour was still being practised after official ban on it. 

On discussing and reprimanding the elders on site, she was told that if this child was put into work, he would carry bricks and help getting the wall stand faster. The woman said, "But if this child is put to school, he would carry the knowledge that helps the nation grow faster. Nobody noticed that every child is like these bricks. When they get educated, they together build the walls of development and it takes the nation high. Children are the building blocks of nation's growth. The Indian law has banned child labour upto 14 years of age. So this kid is supposed to be at school. Child labour can cause serious health hazards on his health and development while education can change the next generations for him. 

The lady had contacts of the authorities and she approached them for providing financial aid to Ramu so that he can afford his schooling.

Soon Ramu began going to school and was happier than ever. A letter transformed his life and he realised how each paper can affect the lives of many.