It was at a construction site that I first saw her .A little girl about six years of age.  She was an absolute bundle of joy, oblivious to the world around her. She sat under the Gulmohar tree trying to cling to the tiny frock just about covering her thin frame and a torn shawl loosely thrown over the shoulders .But it was her face which caught my attention .Two large kohl lined eyes, long eyelashes, rosy cheeks chapped by the early winter chill, she was breathtakingly beautiful .

Beside her, on a piece of blanket, lay an infant about one year old .The little girl continuously chatted with the baby and once in a while patted on its belly making the baby gargle with laughter .A toothy smile came to her face whenever she heard the laugh and she continued with her monologue and the game of stones she had devised for herself.

It was a cold day and the work was in full swing at the site. I looked around for the parents but no one was in sight. A group of boys played at some distance and then there were more children and a small group of young women breaking stones .I dug into my shopping bag and took out a small packet of roasted peanuts .As I moved closer the girl suddenly looked up, and for the first time I took a full view of her.

It was a face of an angel, the curls clinging to her forehead and the eyes telling the story of her life .She looked straight into my eyes. I smiled but got no response from her .She shifted a bit as if uncomfortable by the presence of a stranger ,and kept her hand protectively on the little baby .I knelt and offered her the peanuts .She didn’t move. So I dropped it in her lap .She slowly covered it with her tiny hand, her eyes fixed on me.

“You are lovely, especially your eyes, they are beautiful, you know that?” I said, wanting to break the silence.

“She doesn’t know”, a husky voice said from behind .I turned to face a boy of say around fifteen standing tall over me. “She doesn’t know”, he said again looking at the girl with eyes full of admiration.

“But everyone tells her so”, he was willing to talk .I gave a small packet of cookies to him as well .He took it without hesitation. “She is my sister, my mother is working there”. He pointed to a group of women.

“Oh! I see why don’t you make her also play with you? Am sure she will enjoy it”, I said looking at the smiling girl.

“No”, pat came the reply. She has to be with the baby and besides that…he hesitated and lowered his eyes  … “she is blind from birth”.

 I kept staring at the boy unable to look in the lovely girl’s direction .Speechless, I turned to look at her .She was once again busy with her stones paying no attention to people around her. I simply stood up and walked away as if in trance.