Journey
Created | Updated Sep 11, 2005
Everyday when I travel to my destination from a posh area to a densely populated slum, my eyes witness many assorted scenes, narrating me their life story.
My residential spot is surrounded by rich class towers with all the luxuries. During evening hours the garden of these towers are full with kids and their attendant running after them as they move from one swing to another, while their parents relax in swimming pool or discussing about a new venture.
Just a few step away from my apartment, there is a famous hot spots and health spa, always crowded by the giggling youngsters. And their latest model cars creating hindrance to smooth running traffic.
These hot spots are good entertainment point for the careless rich youths. Their healthy skin, physique and smiling faces shows how much care they take of themselves, groomed in trendy outfits, sipping the world famous brand of coffee and relishing on fast food, less bothered about their surroundings.
For these youths life means to enjoy and cherish, with a dream in their eyes to flourish their inherited business and to settle down somewhere in European Countries.
Just outside these crowded spots, a teenager beggar boy is spotting for some food in the garbage bin and his eyes twinkle as he finds some left overs to eat. Many passer by, like me feel pity on his condition.
After passing away these spots, a huge college premise stands holding those fortunate aspirant students who wants to build their future through this learning. I always watch a young couple (students) enjoying unhygienic toast sandwhich and dreaming to be with each other in the spicy and sweet taste of life.
Opposite this college building a florist with the help of his 7 or 8 years old son makes garland for home delivery for Indian gods. The child, who is always in the government school uniform, sometime walks to school without chappals, books peeping through the torn old bag hanging on his shoulder.
As the busy broad road takes right turn one can see small mechanical entrepreneurs dressed in crumpled, stained clothes, often assisted by those unfortunate kids whose childhood has vanished in poverty.
Near these workshops, since last three years a hovel provides shelter to five or six family members, earning their livelihood as an ironsmith. Many times this unauthorized shelter was razed to ground by the government demolition squad. Recently a new born human creature shows how happy they are with this accomodation.
As the bus move further I see some women folks busy washing clothes and utensils and gossiping at the shared water connection, outside their chawl (row of houses). Their kids look too happy playing in the muddy water in semi nude attire.
These chawl occupants, mostly labourers are happy to have a cheap, small unauthorised room theatre screening maximum pornograpic movies to satisfy their desire or rather say arouse them, which leads them to get inclined in crime against minor girls and women.
Here women hawkers are the prime owners of the stalls, selling vegetables and other household articles. They proudly deal with the male customers. Their face express contentment that even they rule somewhere. These road side stalls controls the traffic speed by occupying the road space.
Passing these stalls the bus halts at the traffic signal, sparing me a time to glance the surroundings. A huge multiplex theatre displays hoardings of the currently released movies, tempting the passer by to move in a fantasy land, shedding away all their worries for two and a half hours. A beggar with her two kids is fortunate enough to be allowed to happily settle on the pavement outside this huge multiplex complex. Like all other mothers, even I watch her daily giving bath to her kids and behaving affectionately with them. Nearby drinking water fountain is the only source for her to keep her kids clean and tidy.
The bus arrives at the last stop and I start walking few more steps to take an auto rickshaw to reach my final destination. Crossing a busy railway tracks are never been a problem for me, but for some unlucky one it was and is. Everyday one or two innocent lives are snatched away by the plying trains. I wonder about the lives in a shanties, which are erected parallel to these tracks, enjoy every bit of a life with all the necessary belongings with them. Sometime celebrating a wedding function with the music provided by the commotion of a running train.
Beautiful and different colour flowers add to the sharp features of the tribal lady, who sells it near this railyway station, expressing different shades of life to the viewers.
The known rickshaw driver stops near me to take me to my final spot.As the rickshaw reach the slum area, one can feel the experience of a camel ride. The local governing body never bothered to reconstruct the roads of this slum area. According to them these people are habitual to face difficulties in life.
Overflowing gutters, congested narrow lanes, contaminated water connection passing through the drainage lines, unpleasant smell, shabby tiny tots playing on the road, unemployed youths, teenagers trying to immitiate the famous cine star to impress the walkers, women folks carrying on their house hold responsibilities and sad old people sitting outside their houses are common features of this area.
As I walk through the narrow lanes I see women busy in handicraft work to supplement their family income. Apart from being a home minister, earning is an additional burden on them, leaving no room for their personal life. Sometime the concept of large family effects the life of these people. They think too many hands means good income, but fails to understand that even too many mouths to feed.
Sometime my head turns towards the talk of adolescent boys, who discuss about their future. While passing through a broader lane, I am happy to wait for a moment, as these broader spot sometime becomes a criket ground or a badminton court. Cable network is the essential part of this slum, the only cheap mode of entertainment available to them.
School going children interested in study is seen sitting on the unclean space with their books, outside their house trying to grasp the difficult words.
Finally entering in my small office of a charitable institute, engross me with my schedule.
My residential spot is surrounded by rich class towers with all the luxuries. During evening hours the garden of these towers are full with kids and their attendant running after them as they move from one swing to another, while their parents relax in swimming pool or discussing about a new venture.
Just a few step away from my apartment, there is a famous hot spots and health spa, always crowded by the giggling youngsters. And their latest model cars creating hindrance to smooth running traffic.
These hot spots are good entertainment point for the careless rich youths. Their healthy skin, physique and smiling faces shows how much care they take of themselves, groomed in trendy outfits, sipping the world famous brand of coffee and relishing on fast food, less bothered about their surroundings.
For these youths life means to enjoy and cherish, with a dream in their eyes to flourish their inherited business and to settle down somewhere in European Countries.
Just outside these crowded spots, a teenager beggar boy is spotting for some food in the garbage bin and his eyes twinkle as he finds some left overs to eat. Many passer by, like me feel pity on his condition.
After passing away these spots, a huge college premise stands holding those fortunate aspirant students who wants to build their future through this learning. I always watch a young couple (students) enjoying unhygienic toast sandwhich and dreaming to be with each other in the spicy and sweet taste of life.
Opposite this college building a florist with the help of his 7 or 8 years old son makes garland for home delivery for Indian gods. The child, who is always in the government school uniform, sometime walks to school without chappals, books peeping through the torn old bag hanging on his shoulder.
As the busy broad road takes right turn one can see small mechanical entrepreneurs dressed in crumpled, stained clothes, often assisted by those unfortunate kids whose childhood has vanished in poverty.
Near these workshops, since last three years a hovel provides shelter to five or six family members, earning their livelihood as an ironsmith. Many times this unauthorized shelter was razed to ground by the government demolition squad. Recently a new born human creature shows how happy they are with this accomodation.
As the bus move further I see some women folks busy washing clothes and utensils and gossiping at the shared water connection, outside their chawl (row of houses). Their kids look too happy playing in the muddy water in semi nude attire.
These chawl occupants, mostly labourers are happy to have a cheap, small unauthorised room theatre screening maximum pornograpic movies to satisfy their desire or rather say arouse them, which leads them to get inclined in crime against minor girls and women.
Here women hawkers are the prime owners of the stalls, selling vegetables and other household articles. They proudly deal with the male customers. Their face express contentment that even they rule somewhere. These road side stalls controls the traffic speed by occupying the road space.
Passing these stalls the bus halts at the traffic signal, sparing me a time to glance the surroundings. A huge multiplex theatre displays hoardings of the currently released movies, tempting the passer by to move in a fantasy land, shedding away all their worries for two and a half hours. A beggar with her two kids is fortunate enough to be allowed to happily settle on the pavement outside this huge multiplex complex. Like all other mothers, even I watch her daily giving bath to her kids and behaving affectionately with them. Nearby drinking water fountain is the only source for her to keep her kids clean and tidy.
The bus arrives at the last stop and I start walking few more steps to take an auto rickshaw to reach my final destination. Crossing a busy railway tracks are never been a problem for me, but for some unlucky one it was and is. Everyday one or two innocent lives are snatched away by the plying trains. I wonder about the lives in a shanties, which are erected parallel to these tracks, enjoy every bit of a life with all the necessary belongings with them. Sometime celebrating a wedding function with the music provided by the commotion of a running train.
Beautiful and different colour flowers add to the sharp features of the tribal lady, who sells it near this railyway station, expressing different shades of life to the viewers.
The known rickshaw driver stops near me to take me to my final spot.As the rickshaw reach the slum area, one can feel the experience of a camel ride. The local governing body never bothered to reconstruct the roads of this slum area. According to them these people are habitual to face difficulties in life.
Overflowing gutters, congested narrow lanes, contaminated water connection passing through the drainage lines, unpleasant smell, shabby tiny tots playing on the road, unemployed youths, teenagers trying to immitiate the famous cine star to impress the walkers, women folks carrying on their house hold responsibilities and sad old people sitting outside their houses are common features of this area.
As I walk through the narrow lanes I see women busy in handicraft work to supplement their family income. Apart from being a home minister, earning is an additional burden on them, leaving no room for their personal life. Sometime the concept of large family effects the life of these people. They think too many hands means good income, but fails to understand that even too many mouths to feed.
Sometime my head turns towards the talk of adolescent boys, who discuss about their future. While passing through a broader lane, I am happy to wait for a moment, as these broader spot sometime becomes a criket ground or a badminton court. Cable network is the essential part of this slum, the only cheap mode of entertainment available to them.
School going children interested in study is seen sitting on the unclean space with their books, outside their house trying to grasp the difficult words.
Finally entering in my small office of a charitable institute, engross me with my schedule.
