Video Editor: Rahul Sanpui
Camerapersons: Sumit Badola, Zijah Sherwani
Aren’t you done adulting? Earn money, pay taxes, shoulder responsibilities... the list is endless. Perhaps, Children’s Day is just the right time to put one’s life in reverse gear and wind back to one’s childhood. And that’s exactly what we made some cabbies do – revisit their childhood.
In a candid chat with RJ Stutee, cabbies opened up on their formative years, and their favourite memories. While some cabbies had fun anecdotes to share, some others spoke of a not-so-happy childhood. Victims of circumstances, some were forced to lose their innocence early in life.
“I never had a childhood. So no point thinking about it. My childhood was spent in extreme poverty. I used to study but when we went without food for three days I started working. I was 14 years old. I never knew where my childhood went. I have three brothers and three sisters. So their responsibility came on me.”Gyan Prakash, Cab Driver
“I have been working hard since childhood. I used to sweep floors when I passed Class 9 and Class 10. I used to earn Rs 25 daily. Even now I have to drive daily to earn a living.”Mohan, Cab Driver
“People speak up against child labour. They say children should not be made to work. We need to see what are the circumstances under which a child starts working. What does the child need? Maybe he needs something to eat.”Jeet Singh, Cab Driver
“I wanted to become a doctor. Now I am a driver. I have been driving since I was 14. If not a doctor, become a driver. D for doctor, D for driver.There’s no difference. Those were tough times.I just hope no one else goes through such times.”Gyan Prakash, Cab Driver
(This video was first published on 13 November 2019. It has been republished from The Quint’s archives to mark Children’s Day.)
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