Sad, but true!

It used to be just a line of them outside temples. Now, they are more spread out. They exist in trains, buses, markets, roads….everywhere!! They are ubiquitous. They’ve increased in number at such an enormous rate that, they’ve become a part of Indian roads. Harsh it may sound, but its true, and there is no denying to it. Surely, you know who I’m talking about. It’s palpable. Beggars!!
You’re running late. You’re on your bike, speeding, hurrying to class/work. And unfortunately for you, the signal glows red. You stop, cursing your rotten luck. And when you’re muttering things (swearing :P) under your breath, you see this woman with a baby, pleading for help. Surely your in no mood to even smile. But a look at that hungry baby, you pity it. You give the lady the first coin your fingers find in your pocket. And you forget it at that instant. (Even a thought about it later, it is more of a feel-good thought, as you tell yourself, the woman needs the coin more than you do) This is a common scenario. If not the same, something similar. The point I’m trying to make here is, in most situations, the woman(in this case) in the end gets what she wants.
It’s true that beggar is poorer and he/she has needs more than we do. But are we encouraging beggary by this little act? Shouldn’t the beggar (unless he/she is disabled or too old to function) earn by other decent, respectable means? Why encourage an able guy this way? Can laziness be a disability?Are we doing harm, in the name of generosity?
That too, after stories about well-off people, who choose to beg (as it’s supposedly a profession with decently high income), you’ll never know,the guy who walks around in rags, might be as rich as you. And worse, after slumdog millionaire, you can’t even be sure if the coin you gave satisfies the hunger of the kid you pitied. It might end up adding to the wealth of some rogue, who heartlessly beats up kids (sometimes ruthlessly blinds kids).
I’ve never been able to take a stand on this. I’m always caught in between rational deliberation and sympathy. But I believe there has to be an end to beggary.
P.S.: If you live/stay in Coimbatore, tell me your opinions. Every time I walk into RSPuram, I see so many li’l kids begging. I always think of the movie,Slumdog. You think it’s possible that there’s something more to it than what is evident?

Value every moment u’ve got!

Back in school, I remember….. there was this li’l boy (my friend’s nephew), who was truly a source of happiness to everyone my friend’s (more of an acquaintance) family. He was 3 or maybe 4. I’ve never seen him, but I’ve heard a lot, real lot about him. So from what I’ve heard, this li’l toddler was so adorably cute in everything he did. Everyone loved him, and to the friend (the acquaintance, like I already told you) he was everything, he meant a world to her.

Letting that stay there, let’s get back to NOW. Recently, I was talking to Akshaya. We were together after real long, so we had loads to talk. And suddenly, in the middle of something else, she asked me if I remember that li’l kid, I was just talking about. I did remember, yeah. I told her that. And what she told me next, came as a big shock to me. She said, “He passed away”. I’ve never seen the kid. I’ve never heard him talk. I’ve never known him enough to love him like many of my friends did. Nothing at all. But this was just too much to take. I was too shocked to even talk, so I remained quiet, and she explained to me about the accident that killed him, and left his mum and dad (who survived with injuries) and the whole family shattered.

This for some reason has been lingering in my mind all the time, right from the minute she told me. I still cant digest it, though there is no two ways to it. It has happened. It’s a fact. It seems so cruel though, so cruel to be true. It hurts to think of the pain the kid must have endured and the pain his parents must be going through after having lost their only kid.

I’ve been thinking about this all day. DAMN!! One day, the kid is the sweetheart of everyone in the house and the next day, the kid is no more. It scares me to realize that life is so volatile, that everything is uncertain. The worst part is that such bad things happen when we least expect them. Imagine having a conversation with someone today, not knowing if it might be the last one. It creeps me out.

But, It is no use complaining, we’ve just got to accept it. That’s the way life is, I guess. It’s sometimes happy, sometimes sad, but uncertain all the time. So it’s best to value every moment of life that there is, cause God forbid, it might evaporate the next hour.