I recently turned 18 and one of the few advantages of turning into an adult is that, I can now drive ‘legally’. By drive I mean a car and not a Segway. So, my parents decided to put me into a driving school (it’s fun initially, when you hold the steering wheel, and drive a full metal box and man oeuvre it and…… but then it gets boring). So one day as I was taking my driving lessons, I noticed something.
Now, let me first say I am very careful and I don’t let my mind wander while driving, however, that day I was at mercy of my ‘deep’ thoughts. As I was reversing my car, and my instructor beside me was giving me pointless instructions, my eyes caught the sight of a lady. She looked like the domestic help of some rich house, as her tattered saree and the dog beside her was a clear indication that her job was to walk the dog of the family. Her face was round and she had little hair, which were dyed red. I can’t really tell her exact age, as years of back breaking work had made her wrinkles more vivid and she stooped like an elderly lady. She just sat on the footpath and stared blankly into oblivion, and amazingly the dog did the same. Maybe both were tired of walking. I kept looking at her and wondered about her life, her family and her struggles.
I couldn’t help but wonder that does anyone ask her ‘how has she been?’, or how is she today or how has her day been. Nobody ever asks her about her dreams, her aspirations, what she wanted to be before she realized that her dreams didn’t really matter, as she was not born into a privileged home. Her blank expression gave me no clue. Does she still dream of a better life? Or has she lost all hope? I looked at her closely, and I noticed some scars, maybe she was a silent survivor of domestic violence and walking this dog was her only happy time. Or maybe her ‘masters’ hit her, or maybe a childhood injury. There were so many questions, but hardly any answers. Her whole life was a mystery to me. Is she literate? Does she ever feel lonely? Does she yearn for respect? People passed her and everyone went on with their daily lives, no one once gave her a second look. She is a no one in the society, a person who is insignificant to others. Yet her whole life is dedicated to serving others.
These thoughts made me think about the several others that had the same life as hers. Those who were practically no one in the society, yet someone. These are the people whom we look down upon, as they are “poor”, but forget that they are still human, and sleep like us, work for money like us and have dreams just like us. Then I realized that how we all say that how ‘every life is important’, but easily ignore the lives of these people. Let’s put this into perspective- my dog walker lady and an actor is caught in a fire, who do you think will be rescued first? I can already is the headlines- “XYZ actor dies” with no mention of the other causalities, and such easily the life of the dog walker was rendered insignificant and no even worth mentioning.
But whom can we fault? It’s not like this phenomena of favouring the rich exists only in India, it is universal. Everywhere, the rich gets the treatment first, the VIPs are evacuated first, and the exploitation of the poor doesn’t really matter to most of us. Let me pose a question here. Would we feel comfortable if our domestic help sits on the sofa beside us? Answer honestly. No. That’s the truthful simple answer. Many a times they express their grievances and their toils, but we simply sympathize with them and go on with our lives, some of us don’t even pay full attention to their words, but here if they give us some juicy gossip of their lives we are alert and listen with intense curiosity. Forget the ‘poor’ whom we don’t know, do we even offer our domestic help a glass of water?
After some time I saw the dog walker and get up along with the dog and walk along the footpath, a limp in her steps- further questions; I never saw her again, she was just a mystery lady who went away living her life (unknown to me), and left me searching for answers.
The efforts show
I am noticing conscious efforts
And a very poignant article, and I LOVE the caption
As usual you have thrown lot of questions
Any answers?
And why that Poor vs Rich mentality picture – it is incongruous to the narration (Just my humble and honest opinion)
Keep writing
Cheers
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Thank you so much, and now that i see it, the picture seems incongruent. I will surely look into it
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Such a sensitive and insightful post, you ask many of the questions that I ask myself. Due to class divide and discrimination, we do not look at people as people, but just as names and bodies that are there to perform a specific service for us. I am glad to have found a like minded friend. Looking forward to more posts. Hats off , for taking an active interest in the world around you at such a young age.
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Thank u so much. Excatly class and the need for status has divided us so much, we do not even realise the simple yet essential efforts of people like sewage cleaners.
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It’s interesting reading this as an American because there are similar distinctions between the poor and the wealthy, plus the added factor of race being thrown in. Such universal themes!
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Yes so true, and there is no long term solution for it
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Wow wonderful post 👍🏾
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Thank you so much
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A sensitive topic no doubt. Skilled narration, Sinchita and excellent portrayal of the imagery.
Speaking of the topic, I thank you for bringing up this topic as we humans must be reminded about the correct attitude from time to time – that we forget to treat everyone as equal. Nice writing, carry on! 🙂
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Thank u …means a lot
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I teach English composition to foreign students, I say this is, overall, nicely written. I agree it is poignant, and flows well. The descriptive language effectively helps bring me into the scene, visualize the woman and her dog, and evokes a sense of sympathy and curiosity.
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Thank you so much.
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Hey.. Ur post is pretty deep and insightful.. I like the way you write!! My belief is that no one ever asks anyone these questions anymore.. Even if people are living in the same house they dont really ask these questions to each other.. So this is the irony if life.. Nd thts y people say that if you don’t think for urself, then no one will.. 😊
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Thank u so much 🙂 i wish we could respect every human
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I can relate, living in a third world country where the gap between the rich and the poor is huge that we lose a bit of our humanity cause we figure this is how things should be. Especially in a time where the youth are conscious of this, it always seems as though you’re breaking the forth wall, and not standing from the outside looking in but standing from the inside looking around. Kudos to you.
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So true, i wish we could change that. It is so sad that we differentiate among people due to their class, caste, colour or status. But i am sure we can change it, as numerous people like you exist 🙂
Thanks a lot 🙂
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I’m really enjoying reading your blogs, i gave you a follow back 🙂 x
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I am so grateful. Would love your comments and feedbacks as well. It will help me improve
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Rich peoples lives are important and poor peoples isn’t. I wonder why the world is facing hunger and money problems when there are only a 100 or so people who earn the most. weird and disgusting. but well…
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You have got quite a lovely blog here. The basic structure and the vocabulary are there already. Plus you’ve got a nice way f detailing things and putting forward your own thoughts and opinions.
More than anything, I think you need to write more and more. True there are a few things that can be improved, like the ease of approaching the core subject of the post but believe me, you’re fine as you are now. Keep reading more and more and if possible, try writing more often, not just one blog/week. Mark my words, when you look bavk at these early posts 6 months from now, you’d see a definite improvement in your writing style and calibre.
All the best. Happy blogging. God bless. 🙂
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Thank you. I am sure ill improve as i keep reading more posts from amaing authirs like yourself
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This is awkward. I’m a normal blogger. Nothing like some of the writers extraordinaire here. Regardless, I hope you get all the help you can get and keep churning out amazing posts like the ones you already have.
🙂
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This was overwhelming!
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Thank you. The reality itself is overwhelming
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