Colonies are a bit better in India than slums but not much. Narrow houses are crammed into a small area. Bare bricks and tin roofs, no sanitation, no water.  One room for a family of five. No furniture. In the evenings they spread some blankets on the floor and the family sleep together in one row.

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So I had a chat with this boy who introduced me into the labyrinth of his colony. He surprised me with his adept English. In fact he was the first person in India I was able to communicate with. I asked where he had learnt it. He said, from newspapers.

He: Noone wants to learn English in my colony.

Me: Really? Why not?

He: Because they work and they do not wanna read. They do not have time.

Me: If nobody wants to learn, why you?

He: I am different from them.

Me: How are you different and why?

He: Because I do not wanna spend my life like them. I need something different.

Me: So everybody is happy in the colony.

He: They think that, we are happy with that. But in reality they do not have good life.

Me: What is good life? Life is never good enough.

He: That's why I do not make friends in my colony, because they do not have aim of their life. I have aim of my life, first of all I wanna be successful then wanna help, who really want to do something different. Tell me.

Me: What.

He: My thoughts. Is wrong or right.

Me: Right.

He: Or I should go with my colony’s people.

Me: By no means.

He: I see the state of my colony, I will do something different. I was reading about Buddha. He was so great man. He was little like me, he did not want anything for himself. Do you know how much is this 5 lakh? Your 2 month salary, mine I have no idea. It takes five years. Ha ha ha.

Me: You mean a university course?

He: So I can not even think about it. Yes. That's why I thought, there is nothing good thing for me, I should do ITI course, it’s only 2000, I can open a small shop. Oh. Good but not for me. So forget about it ha ha, sorry do not mind.

I had different dreams when I was child. I will take science, I will become a doctor, it did not happen, then I thought I would go in hotel management course, it was too expensive, I did not, last year I thought I will do ITI, I did not have money, then I thought there is nothing for you, you will have to put up with it. But still I am trying to do some differently.

It was English what he tried. The newspapers provided free lessons for him. Now the colony boy is starting MBA after his graduation in hotel management. He still has big dreams. If you are poor, education might open great opportunities to get out of poverty. If you have no money, your chances are diminished. Education has become a huge business, parents have to sacrifice a lot to get a degree for their kids. So be grateful if your parents can afford your studies and find different ways to be educated, if not. There is only one thing that nobody can take away from you: wisdom.