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Balloon Seller
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By Jeevan
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Balloon Seller
BALLOON SELLER
On a frosty Sunday night at 10 as a mother walked along with her younger son Benjamin(7), his eyes caught up a mysterious sight of vibrant balloons flying behind the tree across the road. At once he started asking his mother for it, quavering with doubts of uncertainty she approached the balloon seller. A young boy was holding the last six balloons in his hands and sitting on the park bench, expecting someone to buy them. So, to please both her son as well as the boy she bought three of them.
This young balloon seller Lakhan (12) is a boy who studies during the night in the night school organized by a NGO. Lakhan has a family of five with two more siblings both sisters and his parents. They stay in a one room chawl (slum hut). Apart from him both his parents work and earn and keeps their family going. But whatever his father earns basically goes in smoking, drinking and playing cheats leaving a big drought to their family income. Lakhan is a class six student with an average intelligence. After his school he returns home early in the morning at 5, sleeps for some time and then at 12 noon walks for 3 kilometers to reach the market and buys 5 packets of balloons for Rs. 25 each, each containing 30-35 balloons. He blows them manually because of the lack of helium machine. "I am planning to buy them onc
e I collect the money", said a dejected Lakhan. He says, "There are still other options such as buying a blow piper but those are costly and have no guarantee". After blowing those balloons he walks back to the traffic junction and keeps on walking and selling them till the evening on normal days and till night on weekdays. "Selling each balloon at Rs. 2" he says," I get a profit of Rs.150 and sometimes up to Rs. 220 max." Part of this profit money goes for his younger sister's recovery who is now at the hospital fighting for her life from a serious sickness which he doesn't want us to specify, and the other part of his profit goes for buying the packets of balloons the next day. During special days like the 'Independence Day, Children's Day, etc. he is accompanied by few of his friends because of the high demand. "Those days the profit goes to the range of Rs. 500-700", says a calm Lakhan as he anxiously awaits the Children's Day, Diwali and Christmas.
After the wonderful sale during the Ganesh Fest as he expects a good trade, it is high time for the govt. to do something for the hundreds of balloon sellers around who try to live their life with the bits and pieces. Talking to a senior police officer, he says," there is a committee formed especially for the people who are involved in these low grade jobs to help them perform better as well as giving those allowances and proper places of trade with some general insurance".
On a frosty Sunday night at 10 as a mother walked along with her younger son Benjamin(7), his eyes caught up a mysterious sight of vibrant balloons flying behind the tree across the road. At once he started asking his mother for it, quavering with doubts of uncertainty she approached the balloon seller. A young boy was holding the last six balloons in his hands and sitting on the park bench, expecting someone to buy them. So, to please both her son as well as the boy she bought three of them.
This young balloon seller Lakhan (12) is a boy who studies during the night in the night school organized by a NGO. Lakhan has a family of five with two more siblings both sisters and his parents. They stay in a one room chawl (slum hut). Apart from him both his parents work and earn and keeps their family going. But whatever his father earns basically goes in smoking, drinking and playing cheats leaving a big drought to their family income. Lakhan is a class six student with an average intelligence. After his school he returns home early in the morning at 5, sleeps for some time and then at 12 noon walks for 3 kilometers to reach the market and buys 5 packets of balloons for Rs. 25 each, each containing 30-35 balloons. He blows them manually because of the lack of helium machine. "I am planning to buy them onc
After the wonderful sale during the Ganesh Fest as he expects a good trade, it is high time for the govt. to do something for the hundreds of balloon sellers around who try to live their life with the bits and pieces. Talking to a senior police officer, he says," there is a committee formed especially for the people who are involved in these low grade jobs to help them perform better as well as giving those allowances and proper places of trade with some general insurance".
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