Tuesday, August 21, 2007

Fooled by innocence

It was a Saturday morning. The sky was overcast by gray clouds but wasn't raining. There was a knock at the door. As I peeped across the wooden door , a sliver of a girl stood there all set with a helpless look on her face. The door revealed two shabby and dirty looking girls. Their clothes reflected poverty. Disheveled and rough brown hair indicates that they are deprived of combs for a long time. Tattered and dirty over sized frocks were tipping off their shoulders with the frills hanging unstitched at a number of places. Cracked lips and unclean face with despair in their eyes was enough to draw anyones pity. "Didi, our father died a few days ago. Please help us" said the girl who was taller among them. There faces reflected innocence and helplessness with dirty hands already outstretched for the monetary help.I was experiencing the vicarious sorrow of these two poor girls standing at my door step. I closed the door after slipping in some money into their hand.

A few minutes later when stood in the balcony to have the cool and moist air, I saw these two girls singing and whistling merrily as they went by. I couldn't believe my eyes. A few moments earlier they were bereaved by their father's death and now they were enjoying. A sense of frustration and bemusement filled in me. I was fooled by them. I can never condone these two girls for lying about there father.

A couple of months later these girls were once again at my door with the same filthy appearance and helplessness in their eyes. I was determined to be rude with them this time. As I opened the door, one of them spoke up in a similar morose voice . "Didi, my father has got cancer. Help us" . I was taken aback by the confidence of this girl to tell a lie so convincingly. This time I let them down. Moments later I saw them throwing back coins at our neighbour who happened to be fooled this time and bothered to give them coins. They took currency notes not coins I came to know. Disrespecting money when they need it so badly made me more hostile towards them.

I can never forgive anyone lying about his/her parents or any other near and dear ones just to earn his/her livelihood. There are many other ways to earn money. One can work hard to earn and that is what many people do. I believe that there is one or the other work that one can do according to age and capability. If people become honest and hardworking , there's nothing that can stop a country to prosper. But using unfair shortcuts to earn money is what makes a country sluggish in the quest of prosperity.

4 comments:

  1. well written....i had faced a similar situation....a small guy comes to our house every time there has been heavy showers 4 3/4 days....and says that i lost my parents in the flood this time .... please help me.....1st time my mom really helped by giving clothes n money...next time i also gave him 5 rs...but 2day whn he appeared again...i just simply asked how many pairs of parents u have got ???

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  2. 1 more thing aditi....the gals may have lied 2 u .... but they r still poor...n may be they have taken the easy way out 2 earn money....but with the money they get like this ...i think they r not able 2 sustain thr life 4 more than 3/4 days!! so dont feel so angry on urself.....they might have deceived u...n if u ask them i think u will find that its their father who has forced them 2 do so!!!

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  3. you are right mohona..it may be there father who might have forced them...
    you won't believe,our neighbour next door asked they to wash their dishes and sweep the rooms in return of the money they would be giving. These girls simple refused to do so...
    They want money without working just by making sympathetic stories...

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