Wednesday, 10 December 2014

One Awful Frame of India: Poverty





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

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