“I want to be a doctor
and buy a beautiful house for my parents”, the girl said, looked at the street
with glistening eyes, where in I saw the light of hope and determination.
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I met Lakshmi when I was
being on the way back home after an afternoon wandering on the streets. The 17
year-old girl is living with her family in a slum in Egmore. Came to her house
where 6 people living in a tiny space, I was offered a cup of tea and witnessed
their difficult lives. In Chennai city, not so far from Egmore station, under
Gandhi Irwin Bridge, there are about 500 households living in a small area, an
in the difficulties, I found a strong girl.
Her father (40 year-old), like almost fathers here, is an auto rishsaw driver with a salary of 5000 Rs monthly. This amount of money pluses her mother’s little income as a laundry worker that can be enough for a family of six people. Lakshmi is studying in grade 11 at a governmental high school in Egmore. After school. She often helps parents to do housework and take care of her brothers. Because of studying in a governmental school, she doesn’t have a chance to learn English. However that can not stop her learning English by herself. She said: “I will take the university entrance exam after high school, a medical university, as such, only Tamil is not enough”.
Lakshmi is not alike
many other girls, who were born in poor, I’ve met. She doesn’t want to accept
what she was given by Gods or lay her life on any man. Her grandfather,
her parents have been living in the slum for many years. That’s why she want to
change her future. “A house, a big big house for my parents and brothers, it’s
my aim”.
Everyday, Laskmi still
goes up the street through narrow stairs. Some day, this little girl will
bring her family out of the shabby house. I don't know if her dreams come
true or not, but what she gave me in this afternoon is more than a cup of tea
when felt tired.
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