When I met Harendra Singh Chauhan

Ever since my post showing Harendra’s apathy and his strong will to study, captured in a well-timed picture, trended on FB I had a strong urge to meet him. I was overwhelmed by the kind of response I got for the post. A simple gesture of getting the boy paid for his services (he used to sit outside metro station with a weighing scale), so he can rush back home and complete his homework, turned big.

I admit I underestimated the power of social media. I started getting wished for the post, big names added me as a friend, and the post was reshared multiple times. As one of my dear friend updated me that the post had trended on top for few days. Then the media took over, the CM’s wife noticed my post and the boy ended up getting a 5 lakh cheque. But somehow the father is still waiting for a government job, as promised by the CM.I waited for all the media frenzy about the boy to settle down and a week later I finally met him, in flesh.

The complete family

It took me near about one and a half hour to trace him in this semi-urban village Hoshiarpur in Noida. He was dwelling with his family of five in this cramped, squarish room which can loosely translate into someone’s storeroom. The place was dimly-it, everything was placed haphazardly and a shelf with a stove on it was being used as kitchen.  

Harendra was not there, but his father, Ram Gopal Chauhan, mother and younger brother were there to greet me. His father thought I was from media. But when I told him that it was me who clicked the boy and posted on Facebook, he started looking for a Hindi newspaper. “Yes I read your name ‘Vikas’ in the paper,” he told me. Soon after Harendra, the kid who got social network and media buzzing, leading to an immediate reaction from Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, arrived.

I told him who I am and I came to see how he was doing. But he was uninterested and unimpressed. Probably all the media glare, big talk but nothing in concrete, made him so. Though, the plane ride to Lukhnow for the boy and his father was a golden opportunity. They were visited by many newsmen and men with authority. An NGO person even offered to adopt Harendra. “How can we ‘sell’ our son. We will not,” he said looking at his wife. Harendra’s father has no hope from his elder son, who as per him is spoiled. But he nurtures lot of hope from Harendra. 

At the time I met Harendra and his family, to my utter shock, the promised sum of 5 lakh was not received by them. Om Prakash said, “Till the time anything is given in written, we are not sure about the promises made by the CM.” Though all the newpapers claimed it was given, but not to be so in reality. The family was sad that day. I was unhappy and wanted to go for an another post, but Harendra’s father requested me not to do so. H was convinced that the state machinery will soon act.

Om Prakash, is polio-ridden, and was jobless for last few months. The family, a very simple one, lived in this shabby place with minimum of facilities. I congratulated Om Prakash for CM promising him a government job. “What Job,” he exclaimed. The boy interrupted quickly “yes, didn’t they tell us. You will get a job.” Probably the poor man was too lost in front of the Dias with CM addressing the gathering that he couldn’t recollect what all promises he made. “Yes, they did tell us that I will get a clerk’s job, but when there’s a vacancy.” The government school has waived off the Harendra’ fee and returned the money to them. Om Prakash was happy that he can utilize this money and can survive for few more days.“Sahab, I do not want anything from whatever Harender will get. At least he will have a future from that money,” he added.

A week later I got a phone call from Om Prakash informing me that a cheque of 5 lakhs was handed over to him which he deposited in the boy’s account. He thanked me. I thought, better late than never. Om Prakash is now happy but he is still awaiting the government job promised to him.“Sahab, can you do me a favor. Can you get me a stable job?” he asked me over the phone. As the man constantly wants to better life for himself and his family and sees a ray of hope in me, I feel responsible. I hope people with power, big shots and kind-hearted will come forward to help this man after reading this post.

A Note of thanks to CM Akhilesh

Mr. Akhilesh Yadav you are an able leader, and equally unique the way you took note of this boy’s apathy from a social site. This maybe is first-of-a-kind gesture. I really appreciate, and a big salute. You have raised a lot of hopes and set the bar really high for other leaders to follow. THANKS A TON.     

Vikas Sharda                         

How I Became Superstitious

How I Became Superstitious

For me believing in various cults and age-old myths was very hard. I laughed at people seeing them hop over an open slit lemon or changing their route after spotting a black cat. Women in my locality used to weave stories of someone getting possessed by an evil spirit and getting treated by a tantric. In my own house I was refrained from going out during a solar/lunar eclipse. But the rebel in me never followed such rules. It was hard for me to accept that we are the same Indians that gave zero to the world but still fear eclipses.

I got married at a decent age. But to my horror, my wife was too ritualistic and followed many customs that I hated. She had fasted and prayed in front of a banana tree to get a good husband. We had little altercations in beginning as I made fun of her and she took me for an atheist. But, no I wasn’t an atheist. I just prayed rarely and hated these superstitious customs. After few months my wife got pregnant. The first thing I did after getting the pregnancy confirmed was going to a temple and breaking a coconut. Was I getting superstitious? No it was just a custom, to show my gratitude to the almighty. Sometime later my wife gave birth to a sweet baby girl and I did the coconut-breaking thing again. All this while my wife was happy to see me do things that she always wanted me to do.

Another few months passed by and things gradually started to change around me. I was doing well on the job front, had a descent salary and most importantly was content with life. People said that this was due to my daughter’s good luck. I believed that too. For many days we were looking for a good name for my daughter. I thought of calling her Shreya, another name for Goddess Lakshmi, the deity of wealth. Was I getting too superstitious over here again? No, I wasn’t. I hated people giving god and goddesses name to kids. They were too old fashioned. But I myself christened my daughter after a goddess. Consoling myself I thought, “So what if I named her after a goddess. She brought me good luck and the name (Shreya) was cute as well.”

One day when I arrived home Shreya had high fever. She was just few months old and I was tensed about her health. I took her to a doctor along with my wife. She was diagnosed with throat infection and high fever. Doctor gave us the right medicines for her as well. But despite the medicines Shreya remained feverish and couldn’t sleep the whole night. Next day again she had fever. My mother-in-law called in the evening and asked my wife to do a nazar for Shreya. Nazar is a cult-act that is performed to negate the ill-effect casted by someone’s evil eye or intentions. I hated this stupid ritual. But for the sake of my daughter’s health agreed to cooperate with my wife. My wife placed a cotton wick dipped in mustard oil on a spoon. I burnt the tip of the wick and a small flame appeared on the top of the spoon. She swayed the spoon anti-clockwise around Shreya’s body. Then she took the burning wick and kept it on a tap in the bathroom. As soon as she did that the flame got larger and mustard oil started dipping down. My wife spitted at the burning wick and doused the flame with her slipper. “Now there is no evil eye on our daughter,” she said happily.

Though I disgusted the whole act but this time I was part of it. Yes, I became superstitious. I was desperate to see my daughter healthy again. That’s why I became superstitious. Then I thought, “may be my parents, their parents and even parents world over are superstitious because they care for their loved ones. Yes, may be these cult customs are meant satisfy our beliefs that something other than medical science is there to cure people. Or maybe it is just about believing and believing from heart.” Next day my daughter was in her usual playful mood with no sign of fever. “Didn’t I tell you these things (nazar) always work,” my wife said. Though it can be the affect of the medicines on my daughter, but this time I wanted to believe what my wife believed in. Yes, I am happily superstitious!

Vikas Sharda