“And those who say to me “It’s not that bad anymore, even the poor have TVs and refrigerators, etc etc.” To them I say, “Are these children are all faking???!!!!”
How much have YOU really contributed to the poor of India? How often do you claim to be a PROUD Indian, happily living in the USA, your adopted country? How much have YOU given to the poor of India? How much of their welfare is really in the hands of MISSIONARIES AND FOREIGN givers?
If you wish to be a part of the solution, please give generously to a charity of your choice!”
The article is simply written and factual, yet its story struck me hard enough to make me literally cry. Mainly this line: “The children ate it, then sat hoping for more, but there was none.” It reminds me of a scene during this visit which was heart wrenching to observe.
In Mumbai we went to a popular shopping enclave. My family shopped at a cell phone store and I sat near the entrance. It was quite late in the evening. The store was near a mandir (temple) and some big family must have done some puja and were handing out prasad (offering). A small group of very poor people huddled in front of the gates…with dark, streaked skin, torn, tattered and greasy clothing, arms stretched out, eyes shining in anticipation of the food to come. The group included 3-4 children, ranging from eight to four (perhaps they were older, stunted by improper nutrition). Puri and aloo sabji (bread and potato curry) were handed out in small bowls made out of leaves, the norm for such events. The children grabbed their bowls with excitement and gratitude. One ravenously bit in and ate with gusto. He was clearly famished and could see nothing but the food in his bowl. Another broke off each piece of the bread slowly, savoring each bite. Another child picked up his bowl and settled on the pavement, next to the sewage ridden gutter. Inside the store was a large television, visible from the street. The child sat at an angle so he could see the television (just the flashing images was enough), and relished his share. A hungry dog wandered at a dangerous distance. Piles of dung dotted the same pavement, flies and mosquitoes hovering around the food and the children.
After a little while, the bowls were empty. The children were still hungry. Their eyes looked appealingly at the temple gates, hungry and sad, wondering if there would be more. They didn’t stretch their arms out again, didn’t cry out for food, but they sat there for a long time, hopeful for another morsel. That food, that small meal, was a luxury, a rare experience, and they longed for just a little more. A little more to fill their stomachs and comfort their small, malnutritioned bodies.
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