Kya itna bura, Meri maa

I met this girl on a hot summer day. I had been watching her for the past few minutes. What was she doing? I saw two more people near her. One had to be her mom and the other one! She must be her sister, two or three years older than the first girl. Her posture was bad. It looked like that she had been practising some stuff. Her hair looked weird and messy. I walked in her direction with a notion of starting a conversation with her.

"What are you doing kid?"

"I am practising, anna!"
("Anna!" It touched my heart deeply!)

"Could you please explain?"

"In fact I have been practising hard for the past few days. And today is going to be my first stage performance. I am not exactly excited. Till today it was only the other girl who has been performing. From now on I also have to do it. It is going to be a duo performance. I am all ready except for this skillful move. I have to climb over her shoulders and bend myself over her back to touch her feet and then she will jump. I fell down twice trying that move, hurting my lower jaw. Check the wound!"

(It was a bad bruise! She continued pointing at the other girl.)

"She says that it will be difficult to perform this in motion. So, I must practise hard. No one listens to me. Thanks for listening anna." 

"Wait, Who is the other lady? Your mother?"

"She? Oh no! I don't know who she is. All I remember is I was alone wandering the city and ran into this group one day. They told me that this would help me. She tortures me. If I refuse to perform, she won't give me the day's food. Do you know something? Now-a-days I eat twice a day. Its a great and a wonderful thing and so I have to do this to get it."

"Hmmm..."

"That girl has been performing for the past few years. I will collect (she thinks!) beg for money from people. But I don't know why people don't give us money after our performance in train. They could go to big concerts and shows paying thousands but not ready to spare us a coin! Do I earn or have plenty and beg? This will only help me feed myself. She (the lady) told me that if I earned more than ten rupees in a compartment, she might give me one more idly this night!"

(I cried! She continued.)

"Anna! The train is coming! I have to start! Can you tell me an "All the best"? "

"Eh.. All the best ma! All the best!"

I boarded the train and put on my headphones. I was picking a song in random. She and her companions also boarded the same compartment thus started her performance. I prayed God that she should not fall down doing that move. I was praying hardly! She did that in a superb way. A train of thoughts followed. By then, she came near me asking for money. 

The crowd near me advised that I should not encourage these people who are begging. They complain that they must go to work. They have a opinion that they are frauds and must be handed over to the police. I don't know about the rest. But I know that this girl is getting an extra idly if she gets 10+ in a compartment. I know. I opened my purse and took a 10 rupee note and gave it to her. She grinned. She finished her job (!) and came near the door to get down. I patted her back telling that she will be saved one day! She didn't seem to understand.

There are people in this world who are confused to choose one from a list of desserts after their supper. There are people in this world who just neglect the food thinking that that has something to do in reducing their body fat. There are people in this world who think that their life standard is not high comparing with the people above their standards. Remember friends, there are people in this world who don't even get a proper meal per day! 

I don't know if I encouraged her by giving money. I don't care about the people who tell that these are frauds. But I am contended by the smile on her face. I am so happy by the way she looked me when I handed her a ten rupee note. I am satisfied that she might get an extra idly today!

Kya itna bura, Meri maa!