I could not help notice her eyes brim with sadness when she saw the other children in the lap of their parents. The small girl was sitting there, on a box, on the other side of the road, selling balloons. She seemed to be hardly eight years old, yet she had been left on her own at the mercy of the cruel world. There were some coins in her right hand while she was waving the balloons to the passers-by with the other hand. She was trying to attract customers by shouting as best as she could in her meek voice. ?Ten rupee the balloon.?

The people ignored her completely, not even bothering to look at her. She was invisible to others amidst the crowd. She must have been feeling so lonely. The cold gusts of wind along with the intermittent slight rain did not help. They took the little girl by surprise now and then giving her no other choice than bearing them bravely. She was tough for her tender age. I watched as her blue dress wavered along with the wind forcing her to close on herself to withstand the cold.

I decided to buy one from her. ?Ten rupees, Sir.? She took the ten-rupee coin and handed a balloon to me mechanically. She was the least concerned with the sale of her products. Instead, she was staring at a small airplane that came near her. Her eyes brightened up with excitement. I was glad she still preserved her innocence. But the plane soon went away. A man, besides, was trying to lure a family into buying the toy. The girl looked at the small boy who was hugging his mother tightly. She was sad again but buried her feelings and continued with her activity...

This is just one heartbreaking case of a child who had a bleak and dismal Xmas Eve. There must be so many out there around the island with the same fate as this little girl. The only reason is obviously poverty. Had they enough money to cater for the needs of their families, no parent would have forced their children on the road like that. It is unfortunately a harsh reality that has to be acknowledged. Can we solve this problem and give their childhood back to all those children? I think it is impossible to exterminate poverty completely. Yet, there is a ray of hope that, with the strong goodwill of the authorities, all these organisations in Mauritius and the general public, some children can be offered a smile during this festive period. The real question is, however: ?Will they do it?? Until then, I just hope with all my heart that they have had a better Christmas and ask you, readers, to be generous towards the poor. They will bless you whole-heartedly.

Rajnish DAMRY