Can You See Me?

This pic on the left reminds me of a woman who was standing in traffic at a signal stop. I was waiting for a bus on the sreets of Dadar, Mumbai. The words as I made out roughly translated was this...

 "Can you see me through the glass? Sahib can you see me? Please for God's sakes look at my only child. I don't have anything to feed my child. My only other child died last month and this is the only thing I have to keep me surviving. Sahib Please give me something to feed my child. I beg you..." 

I couldn't hear the rest as she burst out into tears. There were three members in the car. I made out a couple in the backseat and their driver. The man was looking blankly at the sobbing woman while the wife as it seemed was disgusted with the whole event. From the queue, where I was standing I could make out that she told her husband that these are all drama and that they emotionally blackmail people for business! Business!? I just could not believe myself as to what I saw. I was about to move out of the queue and reach my pocket when the woman walked across on the opposite footpath. The traffic started in the very same fashion I saw tears flow out of her eyes. My bus came and I feel guilty even today. I could have played a part. Somehow I still can not forget her words even though many years have passed since...

© Prasenjit Das 1997-2014

Image Source : The Web

What Next ?

We are in a world where the rich amasses more wealth and the poor are getting deprivation to the same effect. We live in a country where we pay handsome amounts to procure dresses in trend and yet find it hard to part with our age old clothes which we may have forgotten ever existed in our wardrobe! We will let it rot but not let others have a benefit out of it. Some people say that "the world is a small place" due to technological advancements in the modern era. Sadly, our hearts are shrinking in valuation of kindness and compassion. What is seen nowadays is that "I" have taken a place in the forefront replacing the "WE" from our thinking pattern. A child looks upto its mother by nature's laws. 

Have we ever asked ourselves, that where does a mother in deprivation look upto when she cannot even breast feed her own child? 

Will she look upto God or to those who are more fortunate than her in society? The answer lies in our conscience...

© Prasenjit Das 1997-2014

Image Source: The Internet

Give Me Some !!

Children are said to be the 'light of the world'. They are the symbol of hope and progress. This does not hold good for the continent of Africa where the term The dark Continent stills hold good for more than one reason ironically! We are in a world where trillions of dollars are spend by MNCs on advertisements to gather revenues and bigshot Arms makers creates the sophisticated weapons of destruction. less than a percent of those spending could have not only fed a large chunk of the current child population anywhere in the world but also could have assured that nutrition was not lagging anywhere at all. We like to look the other way round. That is what we are and that is what we are doing sadly. We talk but never put our words in proper action. We are to understand the concept of getting connected to our own conscience. That being the only bridge towards being selfless and as some say "be able to understand God". What about pricking our conscience a bit? What about giving something to others which maybe of no use to us but may mean a lot to others? Charity begins at home. Let us take a pledge to make a small difference in the lives of our workmaids, servants at home. Having done that, we will realise on our own the true meaning of "Being Human" rather than remaining just a "Human Being".

© Prasenjit Das 1997-2014
Image © mdginafrica.wordpress.com