Monday, March 18, 2024

All I Want Is To Ride My Bicycle!

The other day a boy ran into my business premises shouting and crying. A mob followed him attempting to forcibly carry him away. The boy shouted and howled and kicked as hard as he could to escape. It was like a kidnapping scene from film Apharan. I intervened and threatened the mob that I will call the cops. Just then they informed me that the boy had run away from school and all they were trying to is return the boy to his grandfather. An old man appeared and explained how he paid so much money to send the boy to a private school in Darbhanga. But everytime I drop him he escapes. At home he has a bicycle and all he does is ride all day. The mob that followed the boy was illiterate. Drop out rates from school are very high. Even if you do not trust government figures it is still high at 12.5 per cent. It was more than 20 per cent in 2014. In the tenth standard it is as high as 49 per cent in Orissa and 42 per cent in Bihar. Most leave Bihar to work as labourers in the big cities. However, one aspires to be the Chief Minister of Bihar. And one is the Prime Minister of India. Arvind Kejriwal calls him Chauthha Pass Raja!

No comments: