I was travelling by train from Chennai to Mumbai last week. The weather was pleasant - it had recently rained in Chennai - I was thoroughly enjoying this travel break. In every station that the train halted, there was a different scene; the people, the anxious faces, the vendors and the beauty of the place by itself. It felt good to go through so many different visuals in few hours of travel.
We reached Renigunta, nearby the infamous Tirumala Tirupathi temple. Our train halted for a good 15 minutes and I was savouring the happenings outside. I saw an old lady come out of the waiting room with a young mentally-challenged girl of about 14 towing behind her. Both looked shabby with unkempt hair. It was clear that they had a job to do - beg. Beg the people for money and food. I suddenly felt totally helpless and seeing them that way bothered me a lot. My mood changed. I felt sorry for them one side and furiously bitter the other.
They entered our coach and started begging - some people gave food, others pittance. I am strictly against begging but I did not have the temerity to ask them anything or advice them on a better life, a better world. I played a mute spectator that day. I did feel horrible.They passed me to continue their dehumanizing task and I felt terribly sad for them.
Out of helplessness, I looked out the window and saw a fiftyish man walk briskly down the platform. With salt-and-pepper hair, a decent crumpled checked shirt and a lungi, he had a staff for support and a rag bag. May be I was the only person who was staring at him from our train and he noticed that. He changed course, feigned a forced walk and stood right outside my window; arms in supplication, begging for money. I was stumped. There he was - a hale and healthy man, who can walk and talk fine (positively not a differently-abled person) and he resorted to begging. I simply ignored him, he looked at me with his penetrative eyes for a second and he walked away. Then came another lady, an old couple and many other beggars - tall, fat, thin, strong and weak, traipsing around the platform. It was an unbelievably sore sight.
Whatever happened to these people to stoop so low? I agree that they do not have good education, may be a place that they can call home or probably no one to care for. But does it mean that they are left with no choice but to seek alms? Have they lost their will power to rise and shine in life? Or just to do something other than begging? I strongly believe that even the lamest fool has some talent left within him - something unique to be put to good use. Where is the missing link? How do they get respect?
I strongly advocate to my friends not to encourage them by giving money, rather showing them in black and white as to how they lead a pathetic life, not out of being submissive to others but by their own choices. They need to know that they can lead a respected life, that they can earn money just like the fortunate others. I sincerely wish that I pluck up courage some day and confront them for good.
Every person is human and deserves a clean and refined life. I look forward to a world which appreciates this profundity and gives a fresh lease of life to hapless people, pulling them out of their misery.
We reached Renigunta, nearby the infamous Tirumala Tirupathi temple. Our train halted for a good 15 minutes and I was savouring the happenings outside. I saw an old lady come out of the waiting room with a young mentally-challenged girl of about 14 towing behind her. Both looked shabby with unkempt hair. It was clear that they had a job to do - beg. Beg the people for money and food. I suddenly felt totally helpless and seeing them that way bothered me a lot. My mood changed. I felt sorry for them one side and furiously bitter the other.
They entered our coach and started begging - some people gave food, others pittance. I am strictly against begging but I did not have the temerity to ask them anything or advice them on a better life, a better world. I played a mute spectator that day. I did feel horrible.They passed me to continue their dehumanizing task and I felt terribly sad for them.
Out of helplessness, I looked out the window and saw a fiftyish man walk briskly down the platform. With salt-and-pepper hair, a decent crumpled checked shirt and a lungi, he had a staff for support and a rag bag. May be I was the only person who was staring at him from our train and he noticed that. He changed course, feigned a forced walk and stood right outside my window; arms in supplication, begging for money. I was stumped. There he was - a hale and healthy man, who can walk and talk fine (positively not a differently-abled person) and he resorted to begging. I simply ignored him, he looked at me with his penetrative eyes for a second and he walked away. Then came another lady, an old couple and many other beggars - tall, fat, thin, strong and weak, traipsing around the platform. It was an unbelievably sore sight.
Whatever happened to these people to stoop so low? I agree that they do not have good education, may be a place that they can call home or probably no one to care for. But does it mean that they are left with no choice but to seek alms? Have they lost their will power to rise and shine in life? Or just to do something other than begging? I strongly believe that even the lamest fool has some talent left within him - something unique to be put to good use. Where is the missing link? How do they get respect?
I strongly advocate to my friends not to encourage them by giving money, rather showing them in black and white as to how they lead a pathetic life, not out of being submissive to others but by their own choices. They need to know that they can lead a respected life, that they can earn money just like the fortunate others. I sincerely wish that I pluck up courage some day and confront them for good.
Every person is human and deserves a clean and refined life. I look forward to a world which appreciates this profundity and gives a fresh lease of life to hapless people, pulling them out of their misery.
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