A promise made to myself

The movie “Slumdog Millionaire” should be used as a pill that awakens Indians to the plight of street-children. We shouldn’t denounce it by saying that it showcases only the dark side of India; if anything, we should acknowledge it as the fact of what happens in India today, and then try to do away with such evils. On my journey back to Kolkata from Pune on board the Azad-Hind Express, there was this little girl with a pink shirt and a black frock who was performing little tricks with a large iron ring draped around her thin shoulders. Then she approached each passenger with a bowl, begging for alms. As I dropped some coins into the bowl, I patted her on the head and whispered to myself that she didn’t deserve this. I don’t know what she made of my gesture but she gave me a smile that was so sad that I had to bite my tongue to hold back the tears. We’ve got it all wrong, I felt. Everything. We need a complete overhaul of the Indian scenario. And we need it now.

I may not remember everything that took place on my trip to Pune, but the little girl’s smile (and the world of sadness in it) will always be a part of me. And I promise to do something about it.