Pitfalls of fame

Last year, the nation held its breath for an agonizing 48 hours as rescuers worked to pull 6-year-old Prince out of a 65-feet-deep pit. When he was rescued, TV channels whipped themselves up into a frenzy and politicians feted his family. Where is he now?

It’s a nasty, nasty thought. But if falling in a pit could change lives the way it changed Prince’s, then plunging 65-feet down may not be such a bad idea after all. But that’s a wicked thought and Prince’s parents tell you some of their jealous neighbours talk just that way.

Prince was all of six when he fell into the pit and a year later, he wouldn’t be in it for anything — not for the new school that he gets to go to these days, not for the new uniform he wears, and certainly not for the curious visitors who still stop by at his new home at Haldehri village in Kurukshetra to meet the ‘village hero’.

The ‘hero’ turns seven this month. He looks you in the eye but doesn’t talk about that afternoon on July 22 last year. “Yaad nahin hain (I don’t remember),” is all he would say. It’s a past he is apparently trying hard to forget.

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Prince was playing with his friends at a construction site in his village when he ran straight into the pit. For the next two days, the nation waited anxiously for television updates on Prince as personnel from the army, air force and fire brigade worked to rescue him. In Ahmedabad, people organised prayers for Prince while a group of people placed a chadar at the shrine of Sufi saint Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti in Ajmer. People across the country sent cellphone messages to television channels in a massive show of support. The Sikh community started a langar (community kitchen) to offer food to rescuers and other people at the site. The prayers worked and Prince was rescued. The nation heaved a collective sigh of relief and went about its business but life changed forever for Prince and his family.

Sitting on the last bench in his nursery classroom, Prince looks prim in his new uniform. He says he is happy but prod him a little and he talks of how he doesn’t get to roll around in the playground with his friends anymore. He goes to a new school — Prince, his sister and brother study in the DAV Centenary Public School, one of the most prestigious institutions in the region, and the government takes care of the fees.

“The school gives him stationery, books and uniform. He responds to the lessons but does not get enough help from home. He is a lovely kid,” class teacher Puja Dua said.

Back in the village, Prince’s parents Ram Chander and Kaaramjit Kaur have built a house about 100 yards from the pit. Soon after the incident, the family got about Rs 7 lakh from various sources. “We got the money, but political parties had promised much more. We managed to build this house, so now our kids can lead a comfortable life,” says Ram Chander, a daily wager.

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But Chander’s neighbours aren’t so sure. They say he is living off the money Prince got. “I don’t work regularly. But I occasionally get work and that’s enough to sustain us,” Chander said.

Prince turns seven on July 23 but his family wants to celebrate his birthday on July 24 — the day he was rescued. “It was the day our child got a new birth,” said Karamjit Kaur.