SHILLONG: In time of coronavirus, children have different tales to tell.
One was robbed of Rs 2,500 meant for the family while taking a nap inside the truck.
Shiva Hanse from Bokajan, a town in Karbi Anglong district of Assam, is a minor working with a driver of a truck transporting goods from Guwahati to Shillong.
Sitting on the loaded truck at Jhalupara on Wednesday afternoon, he narrated his ordeal while watching some children below collecting dal (lentil) fallen on the road.
“A few days ago, while the driver went to report to a police station in the city, I took a nap inside the truck. I had kept the salary in my pocket which was meant for my parents at home. When I woke up, the money was missing”, the boy said in despair.
His parents and two elder brothers are daily wage earners and he has another younger brother to look after.
Because of poverty, the 12-year-old was forced to work.
He said he does not have any complaint about food.
“We used to cook on the roadside when the truck was stationary”, he said.
When asked, the children, who were busy sweeping the portion of road below the truck to gather the dal, said they will wash it before cooking.
The children, all from the same family, said since they had no money, they decided to collect the dal from the road.
