It was on the last weekend, I was waiting for the green signal on one of the crossings in my way. Suddenly a hand appeared inside the car and a voice came out "BHOOKH LAGI HAI, KUCH PAISE DEDO". I turned my head towards the soound and saw a small kid about 4-5 years old in clothes full of dirt. Though I never want to give money to a beggar on the road but I couldn't resist myself for giving something to that kid. I always discourage people for begging and ask them to work and earn but noticing his age and strength, I couldn't say no to that child.
Working in an MNC, I participated in many social service drives (sponsored by the company) to help the poor and needy. We visited many orphanages also to donate the material, money, clothes, food grains and many other things, to organize competitions and to spend time with children. But I have seen, I can say that we donate in these places only to increase their already unused piles of everything. We have their stores full of everything: Food grains, books, clothes, and every other thing we can think to donate. Does social service only mean to help those who are getting help from many places and not in the actual requirement or to help the actual needy? Is our responsibility over after identifying some orphanages and old age homes and donate them? Does doing only this make a real difference? Though it's not easy to make donation or to help these street children but did we ever think to find a way to solve this problem?
More important than helping them or donating them is to spend time with these children. Actually spare some time from your not-so-busy schedule for these children can make a big difference to their life. Are they not supposed to be treated equally like other children? Okay, let me narrow down the scope and put it like that at least they shouldn't be treated less than the children in orphanages. If we can open our hands to children in orphanages, who stops us to behave in similar manner with these street children.
Many of you may argue that everything for these street children is planned, they have a network of beggars and begging is more of a profession for them. But how does it make a difference even if it is true? They still don't have that privilege to play with toys instead of debris or to eat good enough food or to have enough number of clothes in winters or to have a shelter in rains or... or... Though sometimes I also encountered with shocking experience with these kids, I still feel that more or less it is we, who are responsible to the not-so-good condition of these guys.
I appeal everyone of you to do something to help these kids, who are actual needy and living a life worse than we can think of. Please spare a moment from your life for these kids or at least don't treat them like the waste of the country as most of us do.
accha laga teri sensitive side se jaan pehchaan kar ke :)