I was out in the market and i suddenly felt some one pulling me from the back. on turning round i saw this small child ( you can see her in the picture below ) with just that shawl around her asking for alms. It broke my heart........she must be about 3-4 yrs old.......looked up to me in her crystal clear innocent black eyes with all hopes pined on me......asking me for some money to be put in her bowl. It was heart breaking......i remember the children in our homes, who have never learnt what is to "Want"..... because they have affordable parents......having all their whims and fancies fullfilled...specially if both the parents are with jobs......they would try to give in to what ever the little ones demand.......guilt plays a major role here.....and then its an emotional market too we have there....... these street children , who don't have even a roof over their head...may be often going to bed hungry......not knowing when will their next meal come???? I was quite surprised actually to see quite a few beggars in the town this time.......Wondering where they came from??? Because in Shillong , we really didn't have many of them....in fact when we were in school we knew the few regular beggars in the town.....and often we use to carry old clothes or food to them.And yes,in the beggars community , a local beggar is a rare sight...... the locals here beleive that as long as you have your hands, its a sin to beg......all types of jobs are considered honourable work where you can get paid.And like all times , when i had my dinner that night, this little child kept coming up in my thoughts wondering if she went to bed hungry????
