Go figure!

How many of us could do 500-125 in our heads at the age of 6, in 30 seconds flat? Count me out. (In fact, I'm not sure if I can do that even now in 30 seconds flat :P)

Which brings me to this waist high, chubby, colourfully pigtailed little girl who sells jewellery on the 09:03 Thane - Mumbai CST local train. Dressed in a long floral skirt and a matching top, this little girl scampers between rush hour crowds in the Ladies Compartment, carrying 2 trays loaded with clear plastic jewellery cases on her head between plump ladies squabbling over the '4th Seat', harried latecomers trying to squeeze into the compartment and women peacefully dozing on their neighbours' shoulders.

Speaking of neighbours, the college girls sitting beside me were the reason this little girl now stood expectantly in front of my seat, her soft black eyes filled with the hopes of a good early morning sale. After much picking and choosing, one of the girls finally settled on a 'pearl and diamond' jewellery set.

"How much?" she asks and the little girl replies "150 rupees".
"Way too much! I'll give you 100 rupees for this" says the college girl, "No aunty, that's not even my cost price."(Economics at 6!)
"Ok, 110 rupees then." says the girl, as her friends snicker at 'aunty'. "Make it 125, and I'll not ask for a penny more" says the cherub with a sudden smile displaying a perfect set of pearly whites.
The girl, taken aback by this new tactic in haggling, quietly hands over a 500 rupee note to the kid.

It was at this point that I really got interested and what did I know, amazed too. Within seconds, the kid whipped out two hundreds, two fifties and then with another hundred rupee note in her hand came to me asking "Aunty (grr..), could you give me change for 100 rupees?"

I handed over the change to her, she carefully counted out the notes and gave exactly 375 rupees to my neighbour. Filled with a mixture of admiration and pity, I asked her "Do you go to school?". She looked my way, gave me a smile as bright as the knickknacks in her tray and said with pride "Of course! I'm in first grade"

As she gathered her wares in preparation for her next pitch, all I could do was wonder whether this little kid working the suburban trains each morning was a victim of oppression or a fighter; whose job helped her educate herself, adding wings to an already nimble mind.