Mornings are said to be the auspicious part of the day. Today, it was bit different. It had bright shades of concern, care, love and some dark shades which inspired me to write this piece of work.

I was not able to sleep well last night because of over eating and hot summer night which gave me a feeling of sleeping in furnace. So, the next morning, I woke up late with my phone ringing and a sweet voice from other side melted all my tiredness. The voice was so soothing to give me a feeling of beautiful spring in the middle of summer. The phone brought smile on my face and gave sweet start to my day.

I got ready for office in no time and completed my Yoga. I usually take breakfast at a tea stall owing to the awesome Poha garnished with freshly cut onions and Indian toppings. 2 hours long session of Yoga increases my morning appetite and I grab anything I get in my course towards office. Poha had become my favorite since they are light and gives a feeling of satisfaction to my tummy.

The ambiance of the tea stall is quite contradictory in many aspects. You find porch marketing guys in light colored, lining shirt contrasted with dark wrinkle free trousers. Like British people, their hairs are nicely combed with oils and shoes polished like mirror. They held small thick glass containing fuming hot tea and a cigarette in other hand. To them, smoking appeared like a symbol of pride and the practice of the aristocrats. At the same time, I found them clumsy as they drank filthy water from plastic container with plastic Indian mug.

On the other hand, there were some Earth movers sitting around smoking Indian Bidi. Their clothes were dirty with lots and lots of dirt on them. Their teeth stained with beetle nut and hairs uncombed. In between, there were few students in t-shirt and Capri. They looked neat but their faces tensed with the upcoming exams. They were sipping hot tea and staring at the girl passing by the road. I realized that teenage is the most dangerous part of life. It is a phase where a blossoming individual has to choose for higher studies and career. It is also the same time when his/her heart is pierced by love arrows from cupid. His small mind is trying to win battle against his mighty heart. Whichever side wins, the guy/girl in question, is at the receiving end. Teenage is a dangerous balance between desires and aspirations.

Between the two classes of Upper Ahmedabad and Lower Ahmedabad, one innocent boy working at the tea stall caught my attention. He was serving his customers with Tea, Poha, Maskabun and Cigarette. His age was hardly 12 years. I was wondering why he was forced to work at tea stall. Was he forced to work as labor or was he willingly selling cigarette to fill his tummy? Obviously the latter one was appealing. At the age, where normal kids attend to school and sports, he was perspiring in hot sun to earn his living. Gujarat is considered a state with minimum poverty but what I saw was something different. Poverty is low in Gujarat but what about child labor. I was not able to decide whom should I accuse? Should I accuse the government for not providing free education to poor kids or the parents who compel their kids to work at small age? The Poha did not taste great to me now. I was caught in the dreamless eyes of that kid. 

Then some positivity hit my mind. It told me that at least the small boy was working hard and earning his leaving rather than opting the criminal way. I wonder how a small kid like him will grow under constant pressure to earn money. Will his poverty make him just a bread runner or will he be able to focus on greater goals of life like who he really is or where did he come from or what is the purpose of his life. The charm of money will definitely prove these questions worthless. What a pity!

With these questions in mind, I left my dish of Poha and moved on to start my journey towards office. I was willing to help that small boy but could not gather guts to hug him tightly and say everything will be fine my dear!