No
man is exempted
From
the laws of change
That
spare neither
A ravishing red rose
bobbed along at the level of my waist as I chatted animatedly with my brother
while strolling lazily in the market. I had barely looked down to see its
source when a coarse voice called, “May God bless the thriving couple!”
It was a disheveled
urchin carrying a bunch of roses, some still buds and others past bloom. His
feet were bare and his brown hair fell all over his face. I walked resolutely
ahead, wondering that the new-age tramps no longer played on the human sense of
sympathy at disabilities but had now reverted to well wishes aimed at
vulnerable people.
“Bhaiyya looks like
Salman Khan and Didi looks like Katrina Kaif. What a couple!” said the kid, who
was determined to dog us. I don’t know what came to me but I blurted out, “He is
my brother!” and went away laughing before the ragamuffin could cook up some
new comment about the eternal fraternal bond and the undying devotion of a
brother towards a sister or any such crap.
I have come across many
brands of beggars. There are those at the traffic signal who live off the red
traffic light, which gives them the opportunity to hound vehicles by rapping on
their windows or thrusting some unwanted article like penny dreadfuls, mobile
covers or shades, inside them via some carelessly unclosed window. If there is
a kid with you, then you will attract extra attention from the balloon guys or
the toy sellers. There are obviously those typical women in tattered sarees
with a kid on one arm and a kid on the side, who ask for ‘something in
the name of God’ while pointing to the baby who has snot flowing
copiously from his dirty little nose. But the ones who take the cake are
definitely the eunuchs who will start with a compliment that panders to one’s
vanity and move on to threats of a malediction in case one doesn’t shell out
some bucks.
My mother immediately
took out a twenty-rupee note when once, such a person reached us and looking at
me, said to her, “You have such a beautiful daughter. May God bless her with a
wonderful husband!” That had touched a nerve. So while I rolled my eyes, my
mother promptly gave the person some amount that was certainly more than what
she would have given a ‘general’ mendicant. “These people can curse you and it
often comes true. They have a certain faith and power.” She explained to me,
trying to assuage my anger and skepticism.
I used to be sort of proud
of the fact that I never fell for such tricks. I never stopped to hear any
insistent plea or see any attractive gimmick. Actually, I have never understood
how to respond to beggars. Should I help them or should I be wary of them? The
situation of the country and the disillusionment that has prevented us from
believing the stranger on the street makes me wonder if I am not sinning by not
helping those who might benefit by a few coins? My doubts continue to assail me
however it was the following incident that turned the tables on me. I was
standing at a bus stop, checking my watch when a thin woman came up to me and
said “Hello”. I turned to look at her. “Good Morning” she continued. Out of
sheer habit, I responded with a hello, although the rational senses of my mind
had started smelling something wrong.
“Please...” she said and
extended a white sheet of paper towards me.
“Charity”, she said and
took out a pen. As I looked at the odd sheet, I realized that the winds of
change had transformed the uncouth beggars into proper professional destitutes.
Globalization has brought many things to India, not least the culture of the
west. But this evidence of the westernization of the community of the indigents
had taken me by surprise. A few words in well-accented English and a pen and
paper can give an overhaul to the image of a panhandler. It can make
incredulous people like me listen and put skeptics in a dilemma whether to
contribute to ‘charity’ or not. Thankfully, the bus arrived before I could be
tricked any further. Next time when I encountered a girl roaming about with a
piece of paper, I quickly steered clear before she could accost me further.
Change, thou has swept the world!
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