Firoj: A Story of A Street Children

By Benzir Shaon

 

It’s the story of one year before. One day I thought I know many things, but don’t know much about poor. I don’t know much about their life style. How they live, how they think, how they eat.

 

Then I decided to pass a whole day with a street child. Early in the morning I started from home to find a street child. In Neelkhet I saw a boy playing alone on a pavement. I saw none with him. I went near the boy, asked his name. His name was Firoj. I told my plan to him. He agreed. I also told him, I would bear all of expenses for the day.

 

He was a boy of 10 years. He had no parents; he didn’t know who they were. He passed his night lying on pavement, pavement was his residence, pavement was his playground, pavement was his parents. Sometimes he begged, sometimes he engaged himself with different professions. Once he was miraculously beaten for stealing a piece of bread! He didn’t go to school like us. No one told him to eat or sleep. We have written and memorized the essay of “My Aim in Life” so many times, but he had no aim because he didn’t know what was going to happen on the next day.

 

Sometimes he got some money from begging. He spent that to buy bread, rice, curry, chocolate, balloons, even cigarette. I was surprised to know that, the little boy was a smoker! But I could understand after a short time, there was no one to say to him, “Don’t smoke, it’s not good.”

 

Spending the whole day I got a different meaning of life. I could understand life is not so easy, it’s too hard, cruel, full of dust and sorrow for a street boy.

 

 

Mohakhali, Dhaka

Date: 11-10-05

 

(It’s an imaginary story; there is no character in real life mentioned here)

 

Mark: 7.5/10

 

Comment: Benzir, your essay clearly reflects your thoughtfulness, which is a great quality for a writer. I think you have a good potential to be an excellent writer! Take care of the errors seriously. Keep on writing on new topics. (Tahmina Begum: Course Instructor of ENG 102 and Faculty Member, East West University , Dhaka )

 

Written in 1^st Mid term examination (Essay Category: Narrative) of the course Composition and Communication Skills (ENG 102), East-West University , Dhaka