Life can Smile - Even in Scarcity

It was yet another rainy evening in Mumbai. As my bus stopped (or may be moved too slow) as the rush hour traffic snarled through a particular locality, I saw some hutments made on one side of the road. They were perhaps nomads who had settled there for some months. I glanced through their men, women and children who were carrying on various activities of their household. Suddenly something caught my attention. Or someone…

He was an old man, perhaps in his later 60s but looked like in his 80s; near skeleton, but had long hair with beard flowing over his clothes which were grey – all proving nothing but an abject poverty. Why did he catch my attention? Oh, there he was… He was raising both his hands up to his shoulders and smiling! Not only smiling, but he was like blessing someone! I looked in his line of sight – and I found two younger strong and obese men walking on the road. They were returning him smiles in a gesture. So the old man, who was a portrait of paucity, still had the heart to bless someone richer than himself raising both his hands like Lord Brahma and with such a broad smile! In second thoughts, I found it must be something with the way India is – here people are respected just because of their age!

Just ten meters away from him, I caught another breath stopping sight. There was a kid of about five, lying on his aaram kursi. It was an old style chair, with a reclining seat made up of cloth, which were more popular in the past as resting chairs. This chair was a small one, specifically made for children. As the boy rested on it, he was bending towards one side and watching something on the ground, may be some insects or birds. He seemed to be lost in his world, and I imagined him singing a song. Such a desolate condition of his wandering family, and yet they had cared to keep this kid entertained. On his aaram kursi the boy must be feeling like a prince! Or a baby Krishna for sure…

I also remember another scene from a traffic signal. Some street-children were playing in between doing their beggars job. At one place I saw three kids of around 5-10 years, perhaps they were siblings. One boy and one girl were decorating another girl. They had made her wear bangles in her arms, had kept a piece of clothes over her head like an anchal, had pleated her hair to look nice and balanced, and then there was something which touched my heart… The boy had found a piece of ornament (of course artificial) which is used by Indian women to put over their mang (parting of the hair). It seemed that they were playing dulhan-dulhan and the siblings were trying to decorate their youngest sister as a bride! I wondered if these kids have really dreamt of nice wedding for their sister as it happens in the homes on both sides of the roads! Still, their happiness to see their little sister look like a bride, though in whatever condition clothes and ornaments happened to be, was wonderful beyond comparisons…

When I think about it, I smile at myself. For some time I had wondered if the scenes that I witnessed told me how even the poorest of the poor in India carry part of the same culture and share similar values with the rest. I don’t think it was only this much. I think the scenes proved in front of my eyes – that Life can Smile – even in Scarcity.

(Kumar Rahul)