Topic of speech – “SAY NO TO CHILD LABOUR.”
Situation – Inter university event in one of the most known university of India.
The first speaker on stage, talks long for the topic. The topic is not new and not much difficult, but his emotion and passion on the situation moves many. He crosses the first time warning. He crosses the second time warning. He ends just a fraction inside the last time warning. APPLAUSE!
“Wah! Kya bola. Tune suna?”
He silently steps down the dais and takes his seat, oozing with confidence of winning this. He is a student from the faculty of law.
Second speaker on stage, surprises everyone by speaking against. The feeling of traitor can be felt in the air. Eyes look on him with distrust. He has done this often and those eyes do not bother him. He is a confident speaker. He feels, by going against the flow he would stand out.
He walks down with pride, holding good on the questions thrown at him. He takes his seat and falls asleep. He hails from the Faculty of English.
Speaker number infinity invokes one of the two responses. And it keeps going on for 3 hours.
Countless speakers come and go. They always get either one of the two responses.
The event comes to a close.
People get up from their seats and back to whatever they were doing before, nodding at the winner if he happens to pass their way, on with their life at the dhabas.
Shakeel waits for his prime customer, his source of inspiration, his future, his elder brother, bhai.
He serves chai to the oncoming people with a sad face.
Then he sees him, walking tall in blue pants and a white shirt, sunshine on his dark gloomy day.
He serves hot chai in a small cup. The boy has a twinkle in his eye on seeing his bhai and hopes to become an engineer some day and break the chain of working here.
“SAALE CHAI KYON NAHIN LAA RAHA?”, Shouts speaker number 8 at the little boy from under a tree, distraught on not winning a certificate and not being able to show it to his peers.
The little kid obeys and quickly rushes off to get more hot tea. An elder always shouts for your good is what mother told him. He remembers her back in the village tending to his younger 4 year old sister and making food for baba before he comes from the field. He feels light. He plans to call her tonight.
“YEH THANDI HE BHEN****!” Brother gets angry sometimes. There is so much on his mind. He has to study, think about his future, participate in various things, family, stress always gets the better of him.
Shakeel runs to get more tea, this time planning to smile when passing it to him to ease down the tension. He succeeds. The tea is enjoyed with a cigarette.
Shakeel feels complete.
Speaker number 8 gets up. He feels relieved. He feels he can get away with not paying for the tea owing to the rush today. He silently steps down of the dais and walks away flanked by speaker number 2 and 5. They walk with pride.
That makes 3 teas not paid for.
Shakeel looks at them, completely forgetting that they didn’t pay. He dreams of being like that someday. Hair nicely done, shoes, papers in hand, a pen always in pocket. He gets a chill down his spine.
“Lagta hai tujhe seedha karna padega. Chal chai dekar aa bench ke pass”.
He rushes off waiting for the next opportunity to think of him, waiting for the next time he would get a chance to see him. “I wish bhai would wear the black kurta tomorrow. He always looks good in that.”
Speaker 8 starts preparing for the next debate on politics.
Situation – Inter university event in one of the most known university of India.
The first speaker on stage, talks long for the topic. The topic is not new and not much difficult, but his emotion and passion on the situation moves many. He crosses the first time warning. He crosses the second time warning. He ends just a fraction inside the last time warning. APPLAUSE!
“Wah! Kya bola. Tune suna?”
He silently steps down the dais and takes his seat, oozing with confidence of winning this. He is a student from the faculty of law.
Second speaker on stage, surprises everyone by speaking against. The feeling of traitor can be felt in the air. Eyes look on him with distrust. He has done this often and those eyes do not bother him. He is a confident speaker. He feels, by going against the flow he would stand out.
He walks down with pride, holding good on the questions thrown at him. He takes his seat and falls asleep. He hails from the Faculty of English.
Speaker number infinity invokes one of the two responses. And it keeps going on for 3 hours.
Countless speakers come and go. They always get either one of the two responses.
The event comes to a close.
People get up from their seats and back to whatever they were doing before, nodding at the winner if he happens to pass their way, on with their life at the dhabas.
Shakeel waits for his prime customer, his source of inspiration, his future, his elder brother, bhai.
He serves chai to the oncoming people with a sad face.
Then he sees him, walking tall in blue pants and a white shirt, sunshine on his dark gloomy day.
He serves hot chai in a small cup. The boy has a twinkle in his eye on seeing his bhai and hopes to become an engineer some day and break the chain of working here.
“SAALE CHAI KYON NAHIN LAA RAHA?”, Shouts speaker number 8 at the little boy from under a tree, distraught on not winning a certificate and not being able to show it to his peers.
The little kid obeys and quickly rushes off to get more hot tea. An elder always shouts for your good is what mother told him. He remembers her back in the village tending to his younger 4 year old sister and making food for baba before he comes from the field. He feels light. He plans to call her tonight.
“YEH THANDI HE BHEN****!” Brother gets angry sometimes. There is so much on his mind. He has to study, think about his future, participate in various things, family, stress always gets the better of him.
Shakeel runs to get more tea, this time planning to smile when passing it to him to ease down the tension. He succeeds. The tea is enjoyed with a cigarette.
Shakeel feels complete.
Speaker number 8 gets up. He feels relieved. He feels he can get away with not paying for the tea owing to the rush today. He silently steps down of the dais and walks away flanked by speaker number 2 and 5. They walk with pride.
That makes 3 teas not paid for.
Shakeel looks at them, completely forgetting that they didn’t pay. He dreams of being like that someday. Hair nicely done, shoes, papers in hand, a pen always in pocket. He gets a chill down his spine.
“Lagta hai tujhe seedha karna padega. Chal chai dekar aa bench ke pass”.
He rushes off waiting for the next opportunity to think of him, waiting for the next time he would get a chance to see him. “I wish bhai would wear the black kurta tomorrow. He always looks good in that.”
Speaker 8 starts preparing for the next debate on politics.
