Begging Kid
I was standing near the bus, waiting for it to open its air conditioned doors and let me in. The weather was typical of Chennai. Every one had their hand kerchiefs out and swabbing themselves vigorously. Every one was drenched in their own sweat. An old woman, surprisingly not sweating at all, moved through the crowd asking for alms. No one turned around and gave her a second look. I moved slightly from my position and suddenly felt a tiny draft of wind passing through. Oh, the sweetness and the light cool breeze in Chennai - what a rarity it has become. An old gentleman nearby said - "Ah. The sea breeze has set it". I have heard this statement hundreds of times by elders who had lived in Chennai for a long time. They swear by the sea breeze. But, not being a native and whenever I visit - staying in one of the interiors area of Chennai, the sea breeze never does reach me. Even if it does, it teases for a few minutes and vanishes before you can enjoy it. Wonder if it is really a breeze or just a figment of my own imagination. I wonder how the sea breeze reaches through all the buildings, houses and tiny crevices.
With a Steven Erikson in my hand, I continued to watch the other folks walking by and fervently hoped that the bus conductor would come along any time soon. Very soon, there was a slight sound of another beggar. A small child sitting on a makeshift bench on wheels was winding his way through the crowd. The child was shouting out - "Ammah! - Pasikarthu. Kasu thanga ma!" (I am hungry, Give me some money). The crowd shuffled around the kid, tried to step out of his way and a few people started reaching out for their purses. The big man in his massive jeans pulled out his purse from his back pocket and dropped a Rs. 5/- coin. The elderly gentleman who had earlier commented about the sea breeze also dropped a few coins. The lady with the gentleman said - "Ayyo! Paavam"(Oh. What a pity!). Soon, every few steps, some one or the other dropped a coin. I saw this begging plate also had a few Rs 10/- notes.
I wondered when did we become so generous? Is it the Chennai sweltering heat or the constant sweat that made people to lessen themselves with a few of their coins and currency? Or was this kid generating some incredible charm?
The beggar-kid on his wheels passed by me and soon swapped out all his money into a small bag that he carried under his wheels. The plate was empty again. He moved on to the next platform in the bus stand. I was sure he was going to earn a lot. But, what was the difference? Why was this kid earning so much from his begging, while a old woman who had passed by earlier did not even evince a single look from the crowd?
The KSRTC bus conductor in all white dress came near the bus and every one swarmed around him to get in first into the bus. It then struck me - "The kid was fair. He was not dark in colour". That is the reason why he generated so much of sympathy. The old dark lady was forgotten and did not even exist; but a fair kid begging is so much out of ordinary and every one reached out for their pockets with out their own knowledge. The colour of a person and his rank in the society is so much ingrained our psyche.
Labels: imagination, india, society, stories
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Posted by
subash |
11:52 AM
Hi,
It is true. Sympathy always swings towards a young girl if she is caught in an accident instead of a young boy in that accident.
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