How a Slumboy makes most of Lockdown - 4

Define Cellphone!
Well, the basic idea was to create an electronic device that connects you to the network which further connects you to the other people on the network. Basically, a device which helps you communicate with all the other people on the same network. 

But we've crossed the lines of basic definition by a long range. A cellphone is not just a communication device. It has become a status symbol, an information gadget, source of entertainment, source of knowledge, an instrument to capture memories, device that lets you understand the geographical boundaries, tool for the artists to create art and what not!

It has become the eyes of photographers, canvas of sketch artists, trading and banking device for business people, library of knowledge for students. Name a feature and it is available on this 6 inch handheld device weighing few hundred grams. Did we ever imagine 25 years back that we'd be standing at this phase of technology?

Imagine the world 25 years after!

(If we all manage to survive!)

This cellphone had no boundaries for gaining knowledge. But, it also also has no boundaries for committing crimes.

'A Pen is mightier than a sword'has been replaced with
'Cellphone is mightier than a Pen'

The window of opportunities had opened up for me then. While I could have been wasting time like every other blessed millennial does, my lifeboat came to rescue. He was none other than Dadabhai. He led me to a path that has made me capable enough to express my feelings into words and present them in front of the world. Yes, for the past 10 days I've been learning English language on my cellphone. 8 hours a day and Dadabhai has been my mentor so far. To be able to learn any new language, you need to know a basic language for translation. It wasn't possible for me. Dadabhai helped me learn Hindi vernaculars for initial few days. As I already spoke in Hindi, I just had to learn basic alphabets.

Soon I started spending time on A for Apple and B for Ball. C for Corona Virus and D for Doll. Amongst all these chaos, my mother wasn't happy at all. She had this feeling which apparently everyone mother has,

'Mera Beta yeh Gunde ke saath reh kar bigad raha hai' 

(My son is going off track by spending more time with this Gunda).

But I was developing my skills because for the first time we didn't have to worry about food and that has opened the creative wings for us. She didn't even know that her son was afterall investing his time productively rather than wasting it for begging. This was the only time when we were free from Rehman bhai's chained system. I made sure to make all our lives worth it from being the destitute and miserables.

How long would we blame our lives for being miserable? I had been discussing some philosophies with Dadabhai and instead of spending all my time on the cellphone, I was more than happy to assist him. He had ideas and dreams to transform lives. He was already making a better life for me but he wanted to help as many as he can. We gathered the community and Dadabhai gave a speech. He was sounding like one of those great orators from History. I can't quote any because I know none. But he managed to convince everyone to change their lives from that very moment onwards. His attempts created an impact atleast. He was the person who was trying to liberate all of us.

He suggested women to join work as maids after this crisis ends. For young guys like me, he was ready with a plan from then onwards. He wanted permission from all the parents to change lives. Somehow, Dadabhai succeeded in addressing them. Mostly because there was no fear of our owners and technically nobody had anything to do. This pandemic came to open up the eyes of every human being. Every individual has been going through self realisation and the nature in itself is restoring to it's course.

On the 18th day, a food truck was distributing packets of 1 kg atta and we were the most needy people. We all went straight assembling in queue, keeping the social distancing in mind and collected our food packets. There were 22 packets and 1 was given to each family out of the 350 families at stake. As soon as my mother cracked open the bag, she found 10,000 Rs in it. We were shocked to see the money and within few minutes the word travelled our mohalla and each one of those 22 packets had the same amount.

We jumped with happiness. Dadabhai had convinced all of these 22 families to share the money so that we can manage to provide bread to all 1700 people. Everyone did not agree but all of them were supposed to give 1000/- Rs to Dadabhai for greater good. We all thought that he was being a Gunda and nobody had a choice but to comply with whatever he said. Honestly, he had that image. He collected 22000 Rs and went back to keep them safe. He gave me a task to assemble all the guys of my age to give an orientation session. 18 of us gathered at noon outside Dadabhai's house. He came back with some blue color T-shirts and trousers and some liquid soaps, masks and gloves. Dadabhai spent 2k on getting all these materials and gave one set to each one of us. What was he doing? Trying to transform beggars into salespeople?

Yes, somewhat to that extent. We were told to wash our clothes and take a bath and get ready for the next day at 4 am. The mystery was created. We all went to our homes and I got busy with my Alphabetical Disorder. That night, while my mother served dinner, she cursed dadabhai and whispered that he is a Gunda and she is not sure what was he upto. "What if he sells and sends all of you to Istanbul or Nigeria?" That had happened with few of the girls. Last year, our girls were given a greed of money and were sold as commodities by few people of Rehman bhai and we couldn't do anything.

I had 4 sisters untill 2019. Now I have 3. The forth sister was actually elder to me. Her name was Lila and she was 19 years old. One day Rehmanbhai came and told that she did not have to beg with us now and she will be taken care of at another job. He freed us from begging and did not even ask us for 400 Rs that he collected everyday. We were happy. Instead, he gave us money. He made us believe that our bad days are gonna end and he is gonna transform all our lives. After settling my sister, he would get me a job and we would live proudly ever after.

But little did we know, we were the victims of his smooth talks. One day, he took Lila with him and sent her to a bunch of guys where she had to satisfy them. Lila had no option. She couldn't even say No because she was apparently told that they will rape our mother if she denies doing anything. We had no idea what was going on. Lila never spoke any of that to us. She used to go everyday and come late in the night. We were told that she works in the night shift of a factory making Khakhra. But she was being raped for 2 months by Rich people and after that she was sold to a guy in Istanbul. We heard this from her friend who managed to tell us after she was gone. We never thought that she was going through all this. I don't even know where she is and if she is even alive. They took away my sister and I couldn't do anything. I was feeling disgusted. All my dreams came crashing in front of my eyes. 

I cried over a year for not being a good brother who could have protected her. I even attempted to kill Rehman bhai but all in vain. If I try anything of that sorts after that incident, and if get learns about my deeds, my 3 younger sisters would end up the same way. I was helpless and so were thousand other people who are going through the same or even worse. That's how rough life we have. All our girls are mostly raped and they need to keep their mouth shut. But this pandemic has truly been a blessing in disguise. I was no longer helpless and we get enough food to feed ourselves. But now, the only thing my mother worried about was, what if I'd be taken to some wrong path? The dilemma was no longer a fear of hers. It had spread throughout the community faster than the corona virus.

The only thing that is infecting us faster than this disease was the narrow thoughts and fake news and some religious ideologies. Even I was hesitant. What if Dadabhai was using me to gain trust and may be he would engage us in some bad deeds? What if we were taken to kill someone or to steal from someone? What if we were just dressed neatly so that we could be sold to government who is probably searching volunteers for human trials? What if we were supposed to sell some drugs?

'What if' is the biggest threat to human brains and this threat does not let many people sleep.

It's 3 am and the clock is ticking. I'd have to be patient enough and breathe unti it ticks 4:00 in the clock. Till then, you hold your breath for me. For what matters, I might end up or even get killed.