Daijiworld News Network - Mangalore (MB)
Pics - Dayananda Kukkaje and Sphoorti Ullal
Mangalore, Nov 14: As usual, the Children's Day was observed all over on Tuesday, marked by joy and celebrations in schools and elsewhere.
Earlier on the day, a meeting was held near the late Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru's lifesize statue opposite the corporate office of the Corporation Bank on Mangaladevi Temple Road. It was arranged by various organizations.
There was joy and happiness on the faces of the children all over, maybe partly because later on it was a school holiday. But there was another side of the picture. A large number of children were begging on the streets. They were seen being shouted at, abused and threatened for begging.
Do we think what might have led them into begging? If they do not have any roof to live under and nobody to support, what alternative employment do they have?
'Can they not work honourably and earn their bread?' - many may ask. How many of them are prepared to give them employment without knowing their background and antecedents?
These children could be victims of kidnapping even. The problem is not with begging. It is much deeper. Many years ago, the authorities used to catch hold of begging adults and children and enrol them to the Remand Home in Valencia. But most of them fled the place - for the simple reason that they did not enjoy freedom and there was no income which they otherwise would earn by begging.
Who has to handle the problem? The government and the elected representatives would only concentrate on their terms. Social reformers and counsellors cannot do it single-handed.
Solutions, anyone?
Children's Day Special - Reports of Nov 14, 2006
From Daijiworld's Archives - Children's Day 2005