He clasped the object as if his whole life depended on it. The breathing was heavy, the heart pumping blood with huge thumps and his eyes bulging and confused. He was sitting at his usual spot near the wall-side of the street dustbin, with his legs folded up to his chin and watching the object intently. He did not understand the change the object brought into his life.
As thoughts flashed away in front of his eyes,
he remembered sitting in the lap of his mother while his sister and mother gave him all the food they could muster for the day. He did not have a care in his life and did not have the maturity to question how those two survived if all the food was given to him. In spite of finishing the one meal he had, with barely half of his stomach filled, he felt happy and cheerful as he had his mother and sister beside him.
Few years later, he remembered running behind the SUV that almost dragged away his sister from him. His mother was running behind him, crying madly and slapping her forehead. He did not understand why his mother was so worried this time around since the people in the SUV were always taking his mother for such rides in the past, mostly in the nights. The next morning he realized that the people in the SUV were not good people. He was friendly with them all this time since they used to pay his mother well. But, today, his sister lay dead in front of his eyes. As he returned home in trans after laying her to rest, his whole life came to a halt plunging him into darkness which even his loudest cries could not help him to recuperate from. He found his mother hanging from a rope as he felt scared and alone for the first time in his life.
Isolated, dejected, he remembered being shifted from one orphanage to another. He never felt even the thousandth part of love and caring at any of these places. The other boys tried to bully him and play nasty tricks on him while the wardens and others only had sticks and belts for his back. He wandered with his head hung low and his eyes straining to look up in search of a hand of love.
He remembered the day when a family had finally adopted him as they did not have children. He was taken care of as the apple of their eye. For the first time, he realized the meaning of humanity and unconditional caring. But, hardly couple of months later, he felt a sudden change. The relatives who used to make him go breathless with all the hugs, had suddenly started avoiding him and spoke in hushed tones around him. The arrival of a younger sister after an year made his heart leap with joy as he loudly declared to everybody that she was his lost sister. He never understood why this elation of his made everyone around him angry; why it made them bash him with the same sticks and belts and in the end, throw him into the same vicious circle of the orphanages.
As he finally made the roadside pavement as his home and shivered in the winter and burned in the summer, he realized that even beggary was not as profitable as it was in the good old days of the kings! People pushed him away, saw him like an outcast, and whatever little was offered by the sympathetic or god-appeasing people, was taken away by the child-beggars' manager! He was used by everybody, right from his manager to a lover who wanted to impress a girl. Even the small cleaner post at a roadside dhaba was of no respite. His customers threw jibes at him. His manager made him work the whole day: cleaning tables, washing dishes, bringing grocery, and giving chais to the customers. In addition, he had to bear the brunt of his manager's belt, the customer throwing the tea on his face and the regular visits to jail, which a fellow worker said was because of them being children. He never complained against anything because he did not know how to. He did not understand what was required to make everybody show him, leave alone love, but a little respect!
He almost cringed at the unfortunate incidents of yesterday. His dhaba manager had found that some money was missing from the cash box. Before he could point to the tea-maker, the tea-maker pointed him to the manager. The angry manager had not stopped to even think for a second. He immediately clutched his hair and started slapping hard as he started loosing his consciousness. The trip to the police station had him terrified to death, but the familiar face of his adopted father gave him a sigh of relief. With renewed trust and enthusiasm that he would be saved today, he started his account. But, his father brushed him away and took the words of the manager. The last statement, "These roadside kids are always after easy money!" coming from his father, whom he loved and admired and who he thought knew about his character, was the last nail on the coffin as the whole world vanished into oblivion around him.
He decided to run away at that moment, afraid that he has to face the back-stabbing of trust again, afraid at the looks the people in khakis were giving him, and even more scared at the twisted smiles of the people behind the bars. He felt that the whole world was bent on punishing him for the mistakes he could not remember committing! He looked around and snatched the object hanging to the belt of another policeman beside him.
WHAM!! A CHANGE he never expected!! Everyone was looking at him with a sense of fear as if death stood in front of them. Everyone, his father included, was pleading him to give the object away! All the people were almost standing with half bent knees. He felt a wave of fear, and some kind of respect, coming his way from all sides. Everyone was bent on pacifying him, asking for his favorite dish, whatever he wanted! For the first time, he felt that people wanted him to live!! He felt fearless! He felt POWER!! But, all he wanted to do was run away from these blood-sucking bunch, unscratched.
Now, looking at the object closely, he still did not understand its power. He had slept the whole night clutching it tight to heart. And it was one of the best sleeps he had had in ages! As he sat at the dustbin looking at the object, he knew one thing for sure. If he has to live fearlessly, he needed the object!! He looked at the bread stall at the end of the road where he got 2 bread loaves for free the other night! The same stall where he was beaten hard for stealing a biscuit in the past!! He clutched the object tightly and started walking towards the bread stall!!...
The question is...IS IT EVEN HUMANE OF US TO EXPECT HIM TO CARE FOR THE LARGER GOOD?
Even more importantly...IS IT ACTUALLY WRONG IF HE CONTINUES ON THIS PATH?
My 2 cents...
To the world at large: RESPECT everyone at least for them being human, if not anything else!!...The Larger Good will take care of itself!
To the people (heaven forbid) with the kid's case: Keep looking for the love and kindness, but with care! It does not make sense to punish the world for what a few ignorant people have done!
As thoughts flashed away in front of his eyes,
he remembered sitting in the lap of his mother while his sister and mother gave him all the food they could muster for the day. He did not have a care in his life and did not have the maturity to question how those two survived if all the food was given to him. In spite of finishing the one meal he had, with barely half of his stomach filled, he felt happy and cheerful as he had his mother and sister beside him.
Few years later, he remembered running behind the SUV that almost dragged away his sister from him. His mother was running behind him, crying madly and slapping her forehead. He did not understand why his mother was so worried this time around since the people in the SUV were always taking his mother for such rides in the past, mostly in the nights. The next morning he realized that the people in the SUV were not good people. He was friendly with them all this time since they used to pay his mother well. But, today, his sister lay dead in front of his eyes. As he returned home in trans after laying her to rest, his whole life came to a halt plunging him into darkness which even his loudest cries could not help him to recuperate from. He found his mother hanging from a rope as he felt scared and alone for the first time in his life.
Isolated, dejected, he remembered being shifted from one orphanage to another. He never felt even the thousandth part of love and caring at any of these places. The other boys tried to bully him and play nasty tricks on him while the wardens and others only had sticks and belts for his back. He wandered with his head hung low and his eyes straining to look up in search of a hand of love.
He remembered the day when a family had finally adopted him as they did not have children. He was taken care of as the apple of their eye. For the first time, he realized the meaning of humanity and unconditional caring. But, hardly couple of months later, he felt a sudden change. The relatives who used to make him go breathless with all the hugs, had suddenly started avoiding him and spoke in hushed tones around him. The arrival of a younger sister after an year made his heart leap with joy as he loudly declared to everybody that she was his lost sister. He never understood why this elation of his made everyone around him angry; why it made them bash him with the same sticks and belts and in the end, throw him into the same vicious circle of the orphanages.
As he finally made the roadside pavement as his home and shivered in the winter and burned in the summer, he realized that even beggary was not as profitable as it was in the good old days of the kings! People pushed him away, saw him like an outcast, and whatever little was offered by the sympathetic or god-appeasing people, was taken away by the child-beggars' manager! He was used by everybody, right from his manager to a lover who wanted to impress a girl. Even the small cleaner post at a roadside dhaba was of no respite. His customers threw jibes at him. His manager made him work the whole day: cleaning tables, washing dishes, bringing grocery, and giving chais to the customers. In addition, he had to bear the brunt of his manager's belt, the customer throwing the tea on his face and the regular visits to jail, which a fellow worker said was because of them being children. He never complained against anything because he did not know how to. He did not understand what was required to make everybody show him, leave alone love, but a little respect!
He almost cringed at the unfortunate incidents of yesterday. His dhaba manager had found that some money was missing from the cash box. Before he could point to the tea-maker, the tea-maker pointed him to the manager. The angry manager had not stopped to even think for a second. He immediately clutched his hair and started slapping hard as he started loosing his consciousness. The trip to the police station had him terrified to death, but the familiar face of his adopted father gave him a sigh of relief. With renewed trust and enthusiasm that he would be saved today, he started his account. But, his father brushed him away and took the words of the manager. The last statement, "These roadside kids are always after easy money!" coming from his father, whom he loved and admired and who he thought knew about his character, was the last nail on the coffin as the whole world vanished into oblivion around him.
He decided to run away at that moment, afraid that he has to face the back-stabbing of trust again, afraid at the looks the people in khakis were giving him, and even more scared at the twisted smiles of the people behind the bars. He felt that the whole world was bent on punishing him for the mistakes he could not remember committing! He looked around and snatched the object hanging to the belt of another policeman beside him.
WHAM!! A CHANGE he never expected!! Everyone was looking at him with a sense of fear as if death stood in front of them. Everyone, his father included, was pleading him to give the object away! All the people were almost standing with half bent knees. He felt a wave of fear, and some kind of respect, coming his way from all sides. Everyone was bent on pacifying him, asking for his favorite dish, whatever he wanted! For the first time, he felt that people wanted him to live!! He felt fearless! He felt POWER!! But, all he wanted to do was run away from these blood-sucking bunch, unscratched.
Now, looking at the object closely, he still did not understand its power. He had slept the whole night clutching it tight to heart. And it was one of the best sleeps he had had in ages! As he sat at the dustbin looking at the object, he knew one thing for sure. If he has to live fearlessly, he needed the object!! He looked at the bread stall at the end of the road where he got 2 bread loaves for free the other night! The same stall where he was beaten hard for stealing a biscuit in the past!! He clutched the object tightly and started walking towards the bread stall!!...
The question is...IS IT EVEN HUMANE OF US TO EXPECT HIM TO CARE FOR THE LARGER GOOD?
Even more importantly...IS IT ACTUALLY WRONG IF HE CONTINUES ON THIS PATH?
My 2 cents...
To the world at large: RESPECT everyone at least for them being human, if not anything else!!...The Larger Good will take care of itself!
To the people (heaven forbid) with the kid's case: Keep looking for the love and kindness, but with care! It does not make sense to punish the world for what a few ignorant people have done!
This one's much better...keeps you kinda intrigued, and thought provoking.
ReplyDeleteKeep 'em coming!
Will try man!! :) Thanks!
ReplyDelete