00:00On the golden screen of Bollywood, in 1989, Chandni had come.
00:11This evening, where we are spending today, there is also a Chandni.
00:14And I am not talking about that moon, which is slowly setting on this Kila Ghat of Prayagraj,
00:19as the evening is setting here.
00:21I am talking about this little lovely Chandni,
00:24who sells balloons from here to Sangam Triveni on Kila Ghat.
00:29And today, she has also kept a candy, an old lady's hair.
00:33Chandni, first of all, tell us, do you come here every day?
00:37Yes.
00:38And what all do you do here?
00:40We have come here to sell balloons.
00:43We sell 60 balloons every Saturday.
00:47And after that, we sell 60 balloons on Saturdays.
00:50On Mondays and Fridays, we sell 50 balloons.
00:53And every day, we earn Rs. 600 in balloons.
00:57And for that Rs. 600, we have to work hard.
01:01You have to work hard.
01:03Yes, we have to work hard in the sun, from morning to night.
01:06Then when the balloons are sold here, we go home.
01:10Yes.
01:11So, how old are you when you started selling balloons?
01:14We have been selling balloons since we were 6 years old, 4 years old.
01:20We have been selling balloons from Punjab to Puskar, from there to here.
01:28We sell balloons everywhere in the fair.
01:30Now, we have to sell balloons here for 3 months.
01:33Okay.
01:34So, when we talk about going home, where do you live?
01:37We live nearby.
01:39We have a road nearby, we make shoes and live there.
01:44Okay.
01:45Where are your parents? What do they do?
01:47My mother takes care of my younger brother.
01:49We have three sisters.
01:51Two people sell balloons here.
01:53And two people stay at home.
01:55And my mother takes care of my younger brother.
01:57She cooks food, looks after the things.
01:59My father takes a cart and sells balloons here.
02:03He sells balloons.
02:04Yes.
02:05Do you also like balloons?
02:06Yes, I like balloons a lot.
02:08But what to do, I am not a child now.
02:10I am growing up now.
02:12So, now I have to stop playing with the kids.
02:16When I grow up, I will keep playing with them.
02:18Everyone will say that I am playing with them.
02:20Because I am still a child.
02:22How old are you?
02:23I am 11 years old.
02:25You are still a child at the age of 11.
02:27You are a very cute child.
02:29God makes everyone cute.
02:31Everyone is made of mud.
02:33You have to die and go to the mud.
02:35You don't have to go anywhere else.
02:37You understand very well.
02:38You talk very well, Chandni.
02:39Tell me one thing.
02:40You have seen different fairs here.
02:42You have also been to Pushkar.
02:44I have been to Pushkar.
02:46Pushkar's fair was also very good.
02:48It was for a month.
02:50There is a temple there.
02:52We sell balloons there in the morning.
02:54In the evening, we go to the fair.
02:56We sell 25 balloons at the temple.
02:58We sell 25 balloons at the fair.
03:00The target is 50 balloons.
03:02And here we sell 60 balloons.
03:04We sell 60 balloons.
03:06And as soon as the fair starts,
03:08we will sell 30 balloons here and 30 balloons there.
03:10We sell 60 balloons every day.
03:12Now the fair is very fast.
03:14The fair will be good here.
03:16Earlier, when there was a fair,
03:18our balloons were not sold at that time.
03:20We didn't even know the entire guarantee of this place.
03:22We didn't even know the entire guarantee of this place.
03:24Earlier, when we came here to do the fair,
03:26it was very good.
03:28Now that we have come here,
03:30we know the entire guarantee.
03:32If you go to Sangam in the water,
03:34it will cost us money.
03:36So we go to Sangam in the water.
03:38You go to Sangam in the water.
03:40By boat or by swimming?
03:42Not by swimming.
03:44There is less mud on the way.
03:46There is less mud on the way.
03:48So we go from there to Sangam.
03:50Chandni has kept a lot of secrets here.
03:52Chandni has kept a lot of secrets here.
03:54You are very sweet.
03:56You are so smart at the age of 11.
03:58You are so smart at the age of 11.
04:00I think you have understood that
04:02you have to work hard to earn money.
04:04Chandni sells 60 balloons on Saturdays.
04:06And on the rest of the days,
04:08she sells 50 balloons.
04:10Chandni, if you don't want to sell balloons,
04:12if you have taken a holiday,
04:14what do you like to do?
04:16I like to study.
04:18I was coming to this.
04:20What do you study?
04:22Do you go to school?
04:24Yes, we go to school.
04:26We go to the school next to Marzuki.
04:28We are in the 5th class.
04:30You are doing very well.
04:32I can count up to 100.
04:34I can count up to 100.
04:36My younger sister also studies.
04:38Now she is selling balloons.
04:40Now she has not earned much.
04:42She has earned Rs. 100-Rs. 50.
04:44That's why she doesn't work much today.
04:46It was Hanumanji's day.
04:48He brought all the balloons.
04:50People come out on Hanumanji's day.
04:52Has it ever happened that
04:54one person bought all your balloons
04:56at the same time,
04:58so you got a holiday early?
05:00Yes.
05:02There is no one in the world
05:04who buys balloons at the same time.
05:06When we were your age,
05:08we used to study in school.
05:10Uncle Nehru saw
05:12a cute girl like you
05:14selling balloons.
05:16It was very sunny.
05:18Uncle Nehru bought all the balloons
05:20at the same time.
05:22He gave her money and went home.
05:24Chandni, your name is so beautiful.
05:26You speak so well.
05:28I won't take your time anymore.
05:30When you grow up,
05:32if we grow up slowly,
05:34then we will
05:36sit idle.
05:38If we grow up slowly,
05:40then we will
05:42do good work.
05:44If we become rich,
05:46then we will help the poor.
05:48There is no difference between
05:50rich and poor.
05:52Everyone is human.
05:54I don't have words
05:56to describe my experience.
05:58In front of the camera,
06:00Imran, Keshav
06:02and many people
06:04are watching this interview.
06:06Believe me, this 11-year-old
06:08Chandni who is sitting in front of us,
06:10she is the future of our country.
06:12She is aware.
06:14She knows what she has to do.
06:16She has to work hard to earn money.
06:18She is studying. She is 11 years old.
06:20She studies in 5th standard.
06:22She goes to school.
06:24Can we wish her a better future?
06:26What is it that we can give
06:28to this generation?
06:30Sitting on the banks of Ganga river,
06:32we all have to pray
06:34that this balloon
06:36is removed from Chandni's hands
06:38and a pen, her favorite book
06:40is in her hands
06:42and she can see her parents
06:44playing happily
06:46with her.
06:48With cameraman Imran
06:50and my colleague Keshav Karn,
06:52for One India Samachar,
06:54I am Pankaj Barmish.
06:58For updates.
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