Some Even Can’t See The Stars In The Darkness

The invisible many have been willfully ignored, but when we do start noticing, they never leave out thoughts, questioning our standards of “empathy.” 

While returning home after a long morning drive, (the only rejuvenating tonic in the times of the great vanquisher corona) my eyes saw something not “new” but the intention with which I looked at it this time was completely different.  Maybe corona has given us time to sit back and introspect on a few things which we miss on in the hustle- bustle of life. I saw a little kid following the footsteps of his mother. They were walking across different cars and begging, nothing new in India but a few questions tagged me home.

How we let down street kids

There are more than 60,000 beggar kids in Delhi and one third of them are under the age of 18 years. These kids are deprived of decent standards of living,. They even don’t know their identity  and their lives are restricted to the begging bowl in their hands.  They aren’t even certain about their citizenship, they are deprived of elementary education which is a fundamental right under Article 21A of the constitution (which promises to provide free and compulsory elementary education to children aged between 6-14 years).

The evolution of human thinking took place by the changes in the neocortex placed in the cerebrum of the brain but I guess that the researchers failed to explain the changes in the limbic system present in the cerebrum of the brain. Limbic system controls the emotions and feelings of a being and I think  due to the continuous evolution of the human brain, (the enlargement of the cerebrum according to the increase in body mass ) and in contrast to the increase in the size of the cerebrum reverse osmosis took place in the limbic system of the brain and by concluding the above hypothesis, humans became less human.

The kid’s struggle

These kids are very different from the rest, as they raise their hands to beg not to write the future. During the crisis of corona, we are safely quarantined in our homes having all the possible luxuries but we still kvetch and are not thankful for the grace bestowed on us.

On the hindsight these destitute kids are even devoid of the basics which comprise of clean drinking water, proper meal, proper place to live and so forth. Masks, sanitizers, even soap for that matter are a luxury for them because they are the ones who spend most of their lives in only one pair of clothing. They have nothing to lose and even nothing to get, what they get in inheritance are multiple diseases and a poverty-stricken life. Their parents have nothing to offer them except bad fortune. Authorities and multiple NGOs private and non-private raise charity in their name but they are still left on the footpaths, strange, isn’t it? Deep down this vulnerable section of the society is even not considered a section of the society!

After living on the footpaths for years and years they are just illegal migrants, who even completely don’t know, why are they here, where do they belong to? Most of them are victims of human trafficking, they are sexually abused, work as sex slaves. Their organs are extracted out and are sold against their will. These children are made handicap to beg because, aforesaid the limbic system of human brain has got debilitated.

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Henceforth, misery is not felt nowadays but it is seen, analysed and then the intelligent limbic system which was mend to control emotions sends a signal to help, provided; only if it sees misery. In short, it would be wrong to say that they get nothing because they have polio, HIV, STD’s, genetic disorders, leprosy, tetanus, tuberculosis, skin diseases, mentally deficient and so on.

The apathy of “everybody else”

One most unique thing that the people in power have provided them with is the ration card so that the people in power can exploit these dossers even more just for the sake of vote bank, regardless of the fact they are already exploited beyond the threshold.

My simple question is that do we have human rights in working or just in statutes?  To be honest, I never felt so deeply about these vagrant children before. I recently read a poem written by Adv. Bharat Chugh (former judge). The poem encompasses a tea seller at the railway station, who was a migrant and his offence was that he was selling tea at the railway station without a licence. Bharat sir has pen down this poem in respect to, affinity with the misery of these underprivileged children by beading his thoughts into a necklace. His thoughts, which are in the form of words, converted into a beautiful expression of mere two lines; as follows:

“In a rich India of poor people, being poor was his crime, the ‘Welfare State’ naturally decided that he should serve his jail time.”

Fleeting empathy

I will never be capable enough to empathize, these callow kids but for sure now I can pay my sympathy by doing something in my capacity.

The questions and thoughts which came back home with me are as follows:

A little boy, whom I saw— walked through the road,

Following the footsteps of his mother: self-restrained,

Completely unaware of the cool breeze blowing after a torrential rain,

Keeping faith, walking straight, without uttering a word,

Unaware of the approaching rainstorm-

He never learnt to utter a word, even as a toddler.

His first words were not – mom or dad,

He first learnt to show his little empty hand covered with mud to people,

So as to facilitate his parents;

This has been the agenda of his life since his first breath, maybe till the last.

The pedestrian seeing the jejune kid, give him a penny or two;

Which are worthless for a normal kid but for him, it’s as precious as gold.

What this kid seeks is just dust and darkness,

In a bright night illuminated with a tonne of street lights;

While a normal kid perceive the street lights,

As stars shining in the hue of the night, surrounded with all the luxuries.

A mattress placed on the footpath,

Means luxury to the poverty- stricken; naive kid!

The nepotistic privileged stars of Bollywood claim that it’s —one’s karma to be born in a certain family but my humble question in contrast to the aforesaid statement is that- what is the fault of this callow kid, what had had been gone wrong in his past karmas? That he took birth on a footpath and will certainly die there as well. How can almighty barge such a huge burden on his tender shoulders?

Once upon a time he was also a caterpillar inside a cocoon but he was forcefully taken out before he could develop his wings to fly. Can morning bring darkness in one’s life; is this the definition of karma?

My question to each one of you who has successfully made to the end of this article-What went wrong with his karma, or is something going wrong with ours?

Image source: Pexels

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