Every year in India, around 70,000 children are reported missing. Considering that many cases aren't registered, it's reported that the number is higher.
It is estimated that a child goes missing in India every eight minutes. Sometimes, family members themselves are said to be involved when a child goes missing in India.
Less than one per cent of trafficking cases in India end with a conviction.
"Speech is the most important quality of any man. A fool, no matter how well dressed he is, is undiscovered as long as he does not speak."
~ The Bhagavad-Gita
"There is a dynamic between a first-born and a second-born. The firstborn is often the ally of the parents, while the secondborn often turns out to be the rebel or revolutionary.
So contrary to the old belief that blood is thicker than water, tensions mount in families, leading to many dynamics because everyone has his/her grief and position."
~ Bernard Levinson, psychiatrist quoted in True Love East Africa, "Families at War" April 2007.
"When the results of pious activities are finished, one falls again from the peak of happiness to the lowest status of life."
~ The Bhagavad-Gītā
"Nobody is good or bad. They are either strong or weak. Strong people stick to their morals, no matter what the trials and tribulations. Weak people, many a time, do not even realize how low they have fallen."
- Amish Tripathi, the Secret of the Nagas.
"Less intelligent people who have lost their spiritual sense take shelter of demigods for immediate fulfilment of material desires."
~ The Bhagavad-Gita
It is said that decades ago, a man named Mwangi had arrived in Nairobi, and was looking for a place to establish his grounds.
According to Kikuyu folklore, land is an extremely valuable asset; something that had to exist in a man's life to be able to set roots and also establish a belonging for a generation he was solely responsible for nurturing for as long as time permitted.
Grandfathers told us, as we nursed the unbearable pain of chopped foreskins, that the land had sustained so much bloodshed it turned red and volcanic with the unfulfilled hopes and dreams of many. The blood we sacrificed from our foreskins was what appeased those souls, and for generations, there was stability and peace.
Mwangi had found a one-acre piece of land near Parklands, but at the time didn't have enough money to buy it on the spot. It was the 70s in Nairobi, and despite a significantly sparse population, an aura of recklessness had mushroomed deep within Kenyans. People with 100 shilling notes began showing up in entertainment spots, shopping centres and newspaper vendor spots, which raised many eyebrows since the economy at the time was so stable a 100 shilling note was quite rare.
Mwangi worked hard to save for the one-acre plot of land, even joining the Kenya Air Force. But just as he was a few thousand shillings short of concluding the deal, an Indian family beat him to it unknowingly & bought the one-acre plot of land.
Whether it was the fact that he couldn't buy the land, or whether he was beaten to it by an Indian family who had no idea of competitors, no one knows for sure, but that was what broke the camel's back.
***
On that day, the women were engaged in dancing to the Mugithi songs that were being played during the reception. Some of the women were encouraging their husbands to participate in the train-like dance movement that is commonly associated with wedding receptions featuring Mugithi music.
A few meters away, elevated on the roof of a maisonette, several construction workers paused to watch the ongoing Mugithi dance, which became increasingly captivating with its rhythmic movements.
It was evident that Samuel had completed his shift and, having gate-crashed the reception, was engaged in consuming food in anticipation of potential hunger the following day. I did not require further explanation, as I was already aware of the circumstances surrounding my act of intrusion.
Some Mugithi songs evoked a profound sense of remorse within me as I observed husbands, wives, youth, and the bridal party dancing on a Sunday. They moved in a synchronized train-like manner while Kikuyu songs permeated the atmosphere, allowing individuals to momentarily forget the disconcerting reality of the rising costs that had surged following President Ruto's tenure at State House.
No matter, I thought with remorse... She would have probably loved to include Mugithi in her Dussehra celebration...if her Indian family accepted her…"