A strange topic to be writing an article on.Could not resist it.We do not have beggars in Mangan so the other day when I saw a lady come to my door-step asking for money I stopped short a while and tried to look at things from the other point of view.This lady was obviously not from Sikkim.She was from the adjacent state of Bihar-I locked the door a little harder ...incase!
A trend of thought that would seem dangerous to some came to me.
The topic was 'respecting the sacredness of someone else's space.
There is so much and more discussion on issues of migrants.I have often wondered where I personally stand on the issue.I have utterly detested the discussions on the TV and have naturally gravitated towards the middle path-it felt decent at that time.
I guess there are two angles to every picture.Even as I write this a picture of Mr Mani Shankar Aiyar in a Sikkemese dress accepting the traditional scarf from the local people in SIkkim comes to my mind's eye.There was something very unique and beautiful about it.It was the same feeling Mrs Indira Gandhi or Pandit Nehru evoked while visiting the north-eastern states.The people respected them immensely.
How could I possibly equate the poor beggar women to these highly educated diplomats?
Yet all of us are responsible in one way or the other. We have failed to instill that dignity and assurance in our less fortunate brethren.Have we seen a sardarji begging?Inspite of the difficult times during partition as well as the 1984 riots leaving a wake of orphans and broken families,I am yet to see a beggar from that community.I have seen a child of fourteen juggling business in the streets of Delhi with schooling but begging never!
The beauty of India lies in unity in diversity-each individual respecting the others culture,uniqueness,dignity and space instead of trampling cruelly on each other-that's when the appreciation goes out of the window ...and the endless debates start.
A trend of thought that would seem dangerous to some came to me.
The topic was 'respecting the sacredness of someone else's space.
There is so much and more discussion on issues of migrants.I have often wondered where I personally stand on the issue.I have utterly detested the discussions on the TV and have naturally gravitated towards the middle path-it felt decent at that time.
I guess there are two angles to every picture.Even as I write this a picture of Mr Mani Shankar Aiyar in a Sikkemese dress accepting the traditional scarf from the local people in SIkkim comes to my mind's eye.There was something very unique and beautiful about it.It was the same feeling Mrs Indira Gandhi or Pandit Nehru evoked while visiting the north-eastern states.The people respected them immensely.
How could I possibly equate the poor beggar women to these highly educated diplomats?
Yet all of us are responsible in one way or the other. We have failed to instill that dignity and assurance in our less fortunate brethren.Have we seen a sardarji begging?Inspite of the difficult times during partition as well as the 1984 riots leaving a wake of orphans and broken families,I am yet to see a beggar from that community.I have seen a child of fourteen juggling business in the streets of Delhi with schooling but begging never!
The beauty of India lies in unity in diversity-each individual respecting the others culture,uniqueness,dignity and space instead of trampling cruelly on each other-that's when the appreciation goes out of the window ...and the endless debates start.
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