~ That little Girl...~

We are unique brew entwined with a common thread but have different viewpoints of life and its happenings. Situations have made so – every instance has setup an edible mark on our thinking that has lead us to a different behavior.

Lakshmi came to me with a lot of hope, I could see in her eyes – the name bears an oxymoron to her situation – dire needs of funds to have her lunch, she started to talk about herself for a moment.

Though she was in a hurry, she gave me a definite outlook of life she has been living across the road I was travelling. Her small hovel which her parent’s had setup was surely a dilapidated sight – as she had crossed the road all by herself, she was being looked upon out of care by her mother, who was protective of her daughter. 

I started by asking her questions about regarding her name and whereabouts, where she belonged from and that does she study – at first, she was reluctant to chat but suddenly she started to speak though with not so much of a frank gesture – something surely was holding her back – may be situations in her life made her behave the way she was. I kept to myself and gave her some money – she gleamed for a second or so and quickly started to talk, as if she was in a hurry state of mind.

‘Bhaiya, my name is Lakshmi and I stay in that shanty (Pointing towards her temporary house across the road.)’

‘My father is no more and I stay with my mother, who toils hard throughout the day as she is a housemaid and goes to several homes to cook and wash dishes.’

‘I take care of the household and also study a little bit.’ Whenever time allows – she further stated she is in 7^th grade and likes math’s as a subject.

The last line was truly intriguing for me as that was only the ray of hope I could suggest to her – seeing her life’s turmoil, I could sincerely put her upfront to a path which she wants to travel and has kept deep inside her heart.

As I could perceive that Lakshmi was in a hurry, she went back as fast as she had arrived, it was time to cook for the family, may be, as I guessed when she quickly went into her hovel, not before handling her day’s ‘earnings’ – I was pretty sure she didn’t want to beg as I could see in her eyes the shame associated with this profession – for a girl who is nurturing big in life, this was actually a menial job devastating her ego – but her mother thought otherwise and forced her to act.

Million such Lakshmi’s exist around us, we don’t pay a heed to them as they are just invisible beings, just as regular as anyone can be in this vast sea of heads that we all see every now and then. As I moved on, I sincerely hoped that next time I meet her, she is a better-off situation that she is today and when I see in her eyes, she should fee all the pride she has lost whilst she lives today….