India, incredible India, this is famous one liner
about India. Indeed, India as a country is incredible; even though it is not
the wealthiest country in the world, but it comes on the list definitely. But
what made our country different from others is its culture, its religion, its
democracy, its diversity, its civilization etc. We people are very lucky to be
part of such cultural oriented country. When a person sees the nation
superficially, he can only see the predominant part of the country i.e. its
tradition and dominance in culture; but what`s there in core is a hidden truth.
What I feel about this dreadful truth is, it’s a
truth which is factual and authentic, and it is known to everybody yet all are
showing it as if they are unknown to this fact. In simple terms, bulk of
population is neglecting it.
I live in a city of Pune, Maharashtra which is now a
global city, when I say it’s a global city; I meant poverty percentage is diminishing
quickly and some few years down the line it will come down close to zero.
SERIOUSLY?
Daily, I see the heartbreaking scenario while I
travel to my office. I used to go for work which is about 11.5 kilometers from
where I stay, when I drive through the street, I came across 11 traffic signals
and I see nothing else but an awful frame of our nation.
When I come to second or third traffic signal, I see
some people begging for the survival of their life. Young children, women with
their small kids and old men and women too use to beg for filling their stomachs.
They hardly have clothes onto their bodies. I always use to think what’s
happening? Why it is happening?
Thinking about earlier distressing views, I come to
the next traffic signal I see yet another sad scene. One woman is playing the
dholak and her 5 year old son is trying to entertain people by doing some
tricks. What a 5yr old kid can do just imagine; nobody looks onto his play as
everybody is “BUSY” standing and waiting for the signal to get green. I always
used to see the act and acknowledge his effort by giving something. But again,
the thinking about those people infuriates me. Where is his father? What could
be the impetus to do all this things?
Next scene, I look is absolutely petrifying; again
one mother used to play dholak and her kid, instead of doing dance or trick, he
use to beat himself with an hawser (a big rope). That is very very painful and disturbing
for me to see this stuff. A 5 year old kid is beating himself for his family is
just a curse for our nation. But what the ultimate aim is; is to get some money
for survival of their lives.
This agitating view continues like, some children
use to come closer to the cars and attempt to clean the bonnet, and what the
owners do is, they treat them as if they are roadside animals. Those kids are
helpless, I feel. Next, some people are doing the toilet on roadside without
any fuss as if they are enjoying it. I think, what the hell is this? They
should have the basic facilities like water closets etc. But again these people
choose their lifestyle and they don’t want to change it either.
When I reach to the office, my mood swirls and take
me into deep thinking; if in 11 odd km stretch, I see these much poverty all
around, what can be the percentage of poverty in whole nation (According to the
sources around 269 Million people are poor). Why all people are neglecting such
poor people. I myself don’t do anything for them which infuriate me day in day
out. We need to think on this. But whose fault is this. Is it general public
like us? Is it Government? Or is it those poor people itself?
When will the time come, when nation will justify its
true definition of Incredible India? I hope very soon. Rectifications need to
be done.
-
Gaurav Purohit
