Feeling Of Guilt
Feeling Of Guilt [ 2007-8-24 ]
WE talk a lot about social justice and equity. Once it was about equality that god had created us as equals. They also talked about the colour of blood being red in every human being. But, it turned to some having the blue blood. In fact, no one has come across anyone having his/her blood blue. It was just put into the imagination and thereby get the cake for yourself. It has been like that throughout history. The strong have always been suppressing the weak. The possession of arms made matters still different. It is for nothing that the deterrent policy is not working.
All these go to effect changes in the society. There are many ways to impose your superiority. The technocrats may be powerful but the politicians have the say in almost hundred per cent of the cases. So, may be the political leaders are powerful. That is best left to debate which will be never ending one as politics is.
What concerns almost everyone is the rising population in our country. In fact, the political parties must be thanking themselves that there are more voters. It is for the population factor that India is the largest democracy in the world and they are justified in boasting about it.
What about us? The rising population is creating a greater number of destitute people out in the streets. Well, everyone has to have enough food to eat and that is the basic problem. Remember the incident when rice that had been stocked for five years or so were dumped as it was not fit for human consumption. But, some villagers took it home. That indicates that our situation is not good. We’re supposed to be in the transition times. That’s only a way to console ourselves but deep in our heart we know what pinches us.
On the matter, it is rather unfortunate that the number of street children in the cities is increasing especially in the Kathmandu metro. It is plain and clear to any one who takes the round of the metro whether as a pedestrian, public vehicle commuter or in your own private means of transportation. There, out in the street, are groups of the street children on their prowl. They may be asking for donations or scavenging as the metro is a haven for garbage piles at strategic points.
It is true that there are a number of NGOs that profess to work for doing the needful to make the street children’s life better. Yes, they also regularly come up with thick volumes as reports to show the good they have been doing. But, alas, the street children live as any of us has observed in the streets.
Heckling the people is their common behaviour. Can’t fight back but listen to them. One has the tendency to get humiliated but there’s no way out but go through the experience. The street children are not to be blamed as they are living a live deprivation and sees in you a person who has enough of everything. One just can’t face many of such children with supposedly empty milk pouches. Probably they are sniffing glue. Well, it’s a percentage of a generation that is going to waste. That brings in us a feeling of guilt.
Rhetoric can’t help them. There are people who talk much of bringing relief to the people and the street children also might be included. But action is nowhere. When one is troubled by one’s own problems it seems that only a few can dare to take up the challenges. And they must receive ovation for trying to make the rest of us get some relief from the ever snapping feeling of guilt at the state of the street children.
