The New Girl in India
She looked like this little girl
Who should have been playing in the park,
Or should have been reading in the library,
Or should have been shopping in the streets.
But, she is sweeping the street!
This miniature lady,
Daughter of a government employ,
Slogs in scorching sun
And studies by moonlight.
“Kachra” she calls
And sometimes,
She says “Thank you” too.
“My amma has broken her leg” she said,
“So I have to handle her duties
And do my duties too” she said.
Not a tinge of helplessness…
Perhaps, acceptance and a wish for excellence!
Those who don’t talk to her
Won’t know she knows their language.
Until one day,
She will say…
“I am the progress of my nation”
She will speak loud and clear,
Voicing the voice of the new generation.
She is not the sub-altern,
Nor is she the untouchable,
She is the new girl.
