I was having a breakfast of Idli, the other day while I was at Pune. It was a mobile stall with only two vessels, a bundle of paper-plates and one employee who was also the owner of the stall. Students like me went their as we could get cheap and tasty idlis. That day he was accompanied by one of his friends. Now, when you are sitting at your friend's stall on a working day morning, it certainly means that you are unemployed. Incompetence, lack of interest or or just irresponsibility towards life in general...whatever the reason. He was having a plate of idli too.
A small girl child came at the stall. I knew her, she belonged to the group of people who live on footpath outside the University. Their men probably worked somewhere in city and their wives begged at traffic signals. They used their children to get sympathy. Bigger children earned their own money by begging. I had long lost sympathy towards them as I knew most of their whines.
Naturally, I ignored the girl and continued eating. She probably was just out of her bed (?) and had come there to find some food. And then the stall owner's friend ordered an idli for the kid.
"She comes here everyday and asks for food, yaar!", the owner informed.
"Whatever it is, she is just a kid.", his friend said.
She was just a kid, a 4 year old, free from all the shrewdness her parents might have. She only knew that she can fill her stomach if she asks for it. She did not knew what begging was. I do not like giving alms but she won't care for any money if she gets some. She just wanted something to fill her hungry stomach. I could have done that easily. I allowed her to stare at my mouth. A 4 year old kid. Ashamed of myself, I went away.
A small girl child came at the stall. I knew her, she belonged to the group of people who live on footpath outside the University. Their men probably worked somewhere in city and their wives begged at traffic signals. They used their children to get sympathy. Bigger children earned their own money by begging. I had long lost sympathy towards them as I knew most of their whines.
Naturally, I ignored the girl and continued eating. She probably was just out of her bed (?) and had come there to find some food. And then the stall owner's friend ordered an idli for the kid.
"She comes here everyday and asks for food, yaar!", the owner informed.
"Whatever it is, she is just a kid.", his friend said.
She was just a kid, a 4 year old, free from all the shrewdness her parents might have. She only knew that she can fill her stomach if she asks for it. She did not knew what begging was. I do not like giving alms but she won't care for any money if she gets some. She just wanted something to fill her hungry stomach. I could have done that easily. I allowed her to stare at my mouth. A 4 year old kid. Ashamed of myself, I went away.
