India's dark underbelly

I saw her sitting there, all by herself. She was the most beautiful human being i ever saw. She had the most expressive eyes. They were big and as black as the night...They were expressive to the extent that they mirrored her tiniest of emotions. Her rosy cheeks and dazzling smile only added to the aura that surrounded her. She brought about a sudden sense of calm in people she met. Right now , she seemed to be engrossed in the delicate act of feeding her puppy, which looked no more than a couple of weeks old. Her hair was disheveled and flying in the gentle breeze that had picked up.

She is Mary,the daughter of a poor man who could barely make ends meet. Having lost her mother a few months back, she is now the bread earner of her family. She tried different things but ultimately settled for the challenging profile of being a maid ....in no less than 6 households. When you looked at her closely , you can see that the work was taking its toll. Her gentle white hands were bruised with all the washing and harsh detergents. Her feet were cut in several places because of walking barefoot to work everyday. Her body was getting frailer by the day because of the lack of nourishment. To top it off, she was being abused by her father for not earning enough to meet his apetite for country liquor.

Mary had no formal education. Upon questioning , she admitted that it was her dream to go to school and be educated. She said it was her dream to make it big in life. She wanted her country to be proud of her. She wanted to earn enough money to feed all the poor girls in the world and their poor puppies.One look at her and you could feel what happiness was all about. A smile was permanently etched on her face.Music was always on her lips. She was proud of earning money on her own.You could not help but be touched by her sheer innocence.The frankness and maturity in her voice almost belied her age.

Mary is all of 8 years old....