‘Nothing Wrong in Working Hard’: 12-Yr-Old Delivers Papers, Earns Praise Online

Some people debated whether it was ethical to let a boy this age work, while others appreciated his attitude.

12-year-old Jai Pratap from Telangana delivers newspapers in his neighbourhood, earns praise online.

(Photo Courtesy: Twitter/@KTRTRS)

The value of hard work is unmatchable, and it is something most people only develop at a later stage in life. This 12-year-old from Telangana is a delightful exception to this and shown his zeal for hard work at a very young age.

Identified as Jai Prakash, the boy is a resident of Jagtial city and is often seen delviering newspaper bundles around his neighbourhood. A video of him doing this has gone viral on Twitter where a man even asks him why he is doing this. To this, Prakash says, "What's wrong (about it)?" in Telugu.

The video was also noticed by MLA KT Rama Rao who reposted it to his Twitter account and wrote, "Loved this video from Jagtial Town This young lad a Govt school student called Jai Prakash; loved his confidence, composure and clarity of thought & expression. He says what’s wrong in working while studying and goes on to say it’ll keep him in good stead in future."

Check out the video here:

According to his mother, he is inspired by APJ Abdul Kalam who also worked as a paperboy when he was 10 years old. He believes in supporting himself without anyone else's help, and is working towards that. His father Pratap Veer is a driver and his mother, Anusha runs a ladies' emporium.

Jai Prakash has been delivering newspapers since grade 3 and is currently in the sixth grade.

He also believes doing this work is beneficial for his health. “Waking up early and cycling to deliver newspapers will help imporve my immunity. I will be strong, healthy, and can concentrate better," he told TOI.

He has been inspired by his brother Krishna, currently in the tenth grade, who has also been delviering newspapers for a while now. "I feel studies alone is not sufficient, one should even know how to work. That’s the reason I encouraged my brother to deliver paper along with me," he said.

The boy has also earned a lot of praise online from netizens who have appreciated this initiative taken by him. Some have even said that a child so young should not be working to support himself and should instead be provided with the resources for education.

Here are some reactions:

(With inputs from The Indian Express).