All work and no play

Over dinner tonight, I told a co-worker about something I witnessed yesterday during my mall tour of Delhi. The mall opened four months ago, but much of its space was unoccupied and under construction. Storefronts were boarded up, the sound of hammering rung heavy in the air and dust-covered construction workers roamed the floors.

The third floor, at which one end housed a food court, was the uppermost floor with retail operations. All the other floors above the third were still under construction.

Next to the food court was an extensive playground and arcade for children. Dozens of children were running around, squealing, laughing and attacking the brightly colored jungle gym. Other children were playing video games and still more were frolicking in the bounce house.

I looked up and saw that the next two levels were mezzanines overlooking the playground. On the next level was a boy who could not have been older than 12 years old. He was wearing a dirty kurta and was covered in white dust. He held onto a piece of cloth, bundled to drag a several dozen broken rocks or pieces of concrete and he looked longingly at the kids playing below.

A similarly dressed boy stood next to him, dragging him back to work and away from the edge of the floor. It was truly one of the most heartbreaking things I've ever seen.