New Year wish: Street children aspire to get education, learn dance
New Delhi: Since New Year is round the corner and fever of celebration griping the city, people from all walks of life are all set to welcome 2019, so as the children living in street situation who want that the upcoming year brings education for them. They are also aspiring to learn dance in the coming year.
The children are residing on the streets of Delhi. They wrap themselves with plastic sheets in the night to save themselves from bone-chilling cold.
Talking to Millennium Post, these kids have shared their dreams regarding the New Year. "I want to learn dance and also want to study. Hope my dreams will be fulfilled in 2019," said 13-year-old Aadarsh (name changed) who lives under the flyover in Sarai Kale Khan.
This kid was among 50 children who assembled in Hazrat Nizamuddin (Railway) police station to celebrate New Year festival with city police and NGO named Chetna.
"In New Year, I will wear new clothes and visit zoo, India Gate with my friends," said another kid, a ragpicker. He further added that he wants to become a police officer.
Standing close to him, his friend Ali (name changed), who earns around Rs 200-300 by selling rags including waste bottles said, "I want to learn drawing and dance. Hope 2019, brings me joy and my dream of learning gets fulfilled."
Some kids also stated that in the upcoming year, they keep themselves away from sniffing fluids which harms their health.
In a noble cause, the Delhi Police is giving education to the children in the street situation at Nizamuddin Railway station. The initiative started by Deputy Commissioner of Police (IGI) Sanjay Bhatia when he was DCP Railway.
"Due to lack of support, there were chances that kids can choose the path of crime. We started teaching them inside the premises of the police station. Some kids stopped themselves from taking drugs. My wife also teach them regularly," said DCP Bhatia, who was present at the event held on Sunday.
He further added that the crime also decreased in the railway jurisdiction. During the New Year Celebration at Hazrat Nizamuddin police station, the Station House Officer (Railway) Praveen Kumar was telling kids about the importance of education.
A senior officer stated that in many cases these kids himself brought articles like briefcase and purse in the police station which they found abandoned. They also informed them about the children who were roaming abandon in railway station premises.
"Apart from the study, we taught them about hygiene and we are trying to brought the sense of belongingness among them that they are a part of society," said the officer.
