Even as the 63rd Republic Day was celebrated by school children throughout India on 26th Jan 2012, at one corner of the nation a child was deprived of the celebration. When all children at schools across the nation would have rehearsed for their performances, he could not even be carried in a hearse.
What did happen?
Some play treasure hunt as a game, as a pastime, but for some it becomes their lifetime and drives them insane! This is the case with a community of people living in Andhra Pradesh. There hunt led them hounding for a young boy for human sacrifice. A 14 year old boy who was sold to them by another man for twenty thousand rupees. The boy was sacrificed for the believed-to-be hidden treasure in the fort on Amavasya (new moon night). (Courtesy: NDTV)
In yet another gruesome incident another man and his son were arrested for allegedly abducting a five year old girl for human sacrifice in Indore. (Courtesy: IBN)
There is a very clear teaching in the Bible warning against practicing such rituals, “take care that you be not ensnared to follow them, after they have been destroyed before you, and that you do not inquire about their gods, saying, ‘How did these nations serve their gods?—that I also may do the same.’ You shall not worship the Lord your God in that way, for every abominable thing that the Lord hates they have done for their gods, for they even burn their sons and their daughters in the fire to their gods.” Deuteronomy 12:30-31 (ESV)
Also read/listen to - Psalm 106:37-40 (ESV) and Deuteronomy 18:9-12 (ESV)
Children at school during the republic day celebrations would have heard good advices from the guest speakers.
But what next?
Playing video games or online games, hooked on face book and other social networking sites, chatting with friends, sharing dirty and perverse pictures and posts online and through phones, watching movies. Though the above mentioned news seem like isolated incidents, so many young children in India and around the world are exploited everyday.
When you sing and share ‘Why this kolaveri di?’ so many with kolaveri (murderous rage) are abusing and killing the joy & life of many children.
- Hunger kills more than 6000 children everyday
- 95 in every 1000 children born in India, do not see their fifth birthday
- 1 in 40, primary school in India is conducted in open spaces or tents.
- 1 out of every 6 girls does not live to see her 15th birthday.
- 500,000 children (aged between 5 and 18) are forced into commercial sex trade (prostitution) this trade every year.
- 3% of India's children are mentally/physically challenged.
What are you going to do about this?
Don’t waste the food & money that is provided to you. And save your pocket money and provide food/clothes/note/books to poor children.
Don’t waste your time & opportunities. As you see so many children don’t have an opportunity to go to school. Have higher aims while studying to help such children. Use your time usefully by tutoring such children in your neighbourhood village or slum. How many evenings and weekends and after school hours do you spend aimlessly and on TV and on computer and in the internet.
Make an ACTION list for year 2012 to help such children like you -
1. Every weekend I will teach 5 poor children and help them solve their maths problems and help them to learn their difficult subjects
2. Every day I will save ____ rupees and buy needed things for such children or donate the money to a orphanage
3. I will stop wasting time on the TV or the computer or in the Internet and sharing useless things on face book or orkut or other social networking sites
Just take some time to thank God for all the good things that He has given in your life and remember the needy children around you. Let this year be a PURPOSEFUL & MEANINGFUL year, where you live as a true citizen practicing Justice, Equality, Liberty and Fraternity in ways and means possible through you. Only then your Republic Day celebration will be meaningful.
