That Beggar and Me

More than one month ago, one day I was waiting in the station for the train, the train scheduled at 9:20 am, I reached much earlier there, suddenly I saw a beggar, an women nearly 60 years old, she was in the front platform of mine, she was eating some food in a dirty polythene, I was watching her, after taking the food she took her Lathi(which supports her to walk) and went to the tap, after drinking water she started to walk towards the nearest shade of tree and sat there to take rest, her walk was very tired and slow, she wore a dirty saree and was carrying her rag with her.

We all take less or more care to our parents, we take care for their good health, every day we ask them whether there is any physical trouble or not, we take care of their high blood pressure, we keep them in regular check-up under doctors, whenever they feel week we bring either energy drinks or consult doctors, we take care whether they are taking proper foods or not, we all do these very sincerely after a certain age of our parents, but there is nobody to take care of that beggar, no one is there to take care whether she is suffering from high blood pressure or sugar or cholesterol, there is no one to give her energy drink or good food, i saw her when she was taking breakfast, she did not know whether she will get food for lunch or not----these are the thought coming into my mind after watching that old beggar, it’s so pathetic….

Two days ago, on 20^th May it was “Nrisingha Chaturdaushi”, my parents and my sister is very much devoted to religious works, they had to take the Prasad that is served every year in The Godiya Math, my father told me to bring the Prasad after the Sandhya Aarti, after leaving the main road I took the lane that heads towards the Goudiya Math and suddenly I saw that same old beggar sat under a lamp post and eating some Britannia Biscuits, while I was returning through the same path automatically my cycle became slow coming near her, I was looking her, she noticed it and said---“Babu, will you pls help me to reach Gaudiya math? I can’t see properly during night” I agreed to help her, while she was standing, she informed me---“I asked some people where are they going, they said that they are going Gaudiya Math, I asked for their help but no one helped me”. Then she stood with the help of her Lathi, I got down from the cycle as I thought that I have to hold her hand to show the path, but she was walking herself, did not ask for my help, the math was 100 steps away with a right turn, she did not ask for my help, only one mistake she was going to do, that is she did not took the right turn and was walking straight, I showed her the right path and helped her to enter in the math---her voice, her condition, her walk, her helplessness haunted me whole night.

While walking she informed me—“today someone has stolen my saree, my rag and my petticoat”, the most bad habit in me is I carry as much as amount needed(as per my calculation) while travelling, I don’t keep money whether going outside home until I need to buy anything, that day I went to bring the Prasad only, so there was no money with me so that I could help her, after reaching home I shared the incident with my family and there was a pin drop silence for long time, they all were feeling sad for her, its natural, from my childhood I am seeing my parents have the habit to call the beggars and to serve food and my sister help a poor family from her income, though she never tell anyone about this.

That day for the whole night I was constantly thinking what I can do for her, rupees 100 or 500 will not solve her problem and truly saying I don’t have the financial capability to bear her expenses for the rest of her life. At last an idea has come into my mind---I will inform any NGO those are working on poverty and for the poor people.

If any one of you can suggest anything then it will be very helpful me.

It was very tough for me to write this post---it’s so pathetic, but I need help badly that’s why somehow I have managed to write it.