JOIN US At 12, Sapna entertains crowds by walking on a rope and little does she know that she is risking her life. All she knows is that she has to eke out a living for herself and her family. Even her younger siblings, Raju and Appu, too join her in this daring act.
These children — like many other nomads — are totally untouched by the celebrations that surround Children’s Day, celebrated on Wednesday.
Ask them whether they would like to go to school, pat comes the reply “We would like to go but we cannot afford to. My family and we have to sleep hungry, if we go to school. We do not know anything about the Children’s Day.”
Accompanied by their parents, these siblings go from one place to another and perform before large crowds. During the night, they camp at one place and proceed to another at the daybreak.
“My parents used to perform these acts when we were very small. As I grew up, my father taught me the nuances of these acts. Today, my performances draw big crowds.
There is no way I can escape even if I’m not well,” Sapna told Deccan Herald.
Despite various programmes implemented by the government to ensure education to all, these children are deprived of such basic rights and are forced to work.