“Raja lo, Rani lo, Gudda lo, Guddi lo, taash, paper soap lo ji” is the announcement when she arrived in a train.
Yes you heard it right, it’s been almost two years now I have been traveling from Panipat to kurukshetra and back by Railways, each and every day, I saw her yelling the same line.
Her name is SAPNA, 70 years old widow. She sells her Raja Rani, the toys (the king and the queen) in Paschim Express from past 20 Years, just 3 years less than my age.
When I talked a bit more with her, she said her husband died around 20 years back, her son is an alcoholic, which probably is the main cause of her present condition.
“Pet k liye kamana parta h bhaiya”, she replied, when I asked her about the reason for working. She complains the government because she is not entitled to the widow pension or old-age pension, “jo pese fekta h use pension milti h” she added. That obviously means a sort of corruption.
I will not ask you to get some nice purchases from her and raise her income, as nowadays all people posting and appealing for the same, the only thing I want you to know is, if a Sapna can do at this age, despite of such circumstances, she hasn’t surrendered, she opted to work and earn some living for herself, which is really a nice thing, lets pledge, that we will not allow our circumstances to overcome our will power.
Submitted By – Surpreet Singh
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