Headlinesindia Bureau
New Delhi: A casual walk through the streets of New Delhi Railway Station and one can find them collecting garbage, breaking bricks, pushing rickshaws, serving teas, hassling strangers, begging, scrounging, as prostitutes, picking peoples' pockets - all trying to earn a living, involved in a struggle of miserable sustenance. And they are, none other than, the street children.
Shekhar, who ran away from his home when he was 12 years old found shelter at the capital's railway station. "My father used to gamble and smoke a lot, and so, my mom was cursed by relatives and neighbours, which I couldn’t stand, so I decided to run away from home and come to Delhi," claimed Shekhar.
Sharing his varied experiences on the platform, Shekhar said, "When the trains halt for washing or cleaning, the street children frantically move inside in search of the leftovers, water bottles, newspapers and later sell them to bookstores or juice shops on the station, which in turn, allow them to take shelter on their rooftops," adding, "Many children are beaten or even stabbed by the police in the course of action."
Javed, juxtaposed to this, left his hometown when he was eight years old, just because he was fascinated by the city life. "I was too afraid to tell my parents that I wanted to move to a city and become an actor, so I ran away with a friend, " giggled 21-year-old Javed.
Shekhar had something distressing to share. He explained, "This station has twelve platforms in all and each one has a gang leader. Each gang leader has a territory of his own and no one can dare step into the others'. They pick up children from the platform and make them work for them. The girls are usually taken away by the pimps," adding, "These children may be even upto twenty years old or more who are forced to work for them."
Salaam Baalak Trust: A ray of hope
The "Salaam Baalak Trust" was instituted in 1988 and is essentially an NGO that concerns itself with the welfare of street children in and around New Delhi Railway Station, courtesy veteran Film Director Meera Nair, the founder of SBT, who took the initiative after the success of her debut film Salaam Bombay, deploying street children after rigorous training. The Trust lends support to the street children in Mumbai, Bhubaneswar besides Delhi.
The Trust added another feather to its cap in 1998 wherein it launched, "Childline - Delhi," which is a 24-hour toll free hotline phone service for children in distress, especially those children living on the streets.
The Trust has four shelter homes in the capital, of which three are for boys. Rehabilitation at the "Salaam Baalak Trust" does not only translate itself into getting the child off the streets, but it brings about an economic, social and emotional metamorphosis for them. The children, here, are either bought by the police or through the contact points. Only those children, who are below the age of 18, are picked up by the trust.
