Poverty means

                                  

Poverty has many meanings on same path.

I was in a town surrounded by few hundreds of villages. Early evening I took a trip to my friend’s work place, as a doctor he is giving his services to a well developed hospital in the town. His busy work schedule put me in the hospitals waiting lounge for more than reasonable time. I was not bored, but surprised seeing sympathy between strangers. Spoke to some, absorbed many. Hospital is next to a highway, and its main entry to the town. Walked out from the lounge for fresh air, and moved towards canteen.

A couple got down from a bus on the highway walking towards hospital, man holding a kid.  I saw my friend in the lounge, immediately I went and met him, was discussing. But, my eyes are on overall the place. Seen the couple near reception, the reception supervisor came to my friend and told about the couple.  From distance, I can see my friend treating the kid.  Not took much time to start our discussion.

Getting dark, I took leave from my friend, walk backed towards highways. I got to see the same couple with a kid sitting in the bus stop. Thought to go and speak to them, no idea what to speak, but still I went near them and spoke.* 

Dinner is ready, not in a mood to eat. Even my bed is resisting in giving a good sleep to me. All the things in the house look abnormal. Many questions arose in me. Went for a walk, walked for couple of hours in the middle of the night, reached the place where I met the couple. The entire conversation with the couple is reeling in me. My tears wet the road.

Poverty speaks in many ways, and punishes in various ways. 

*The couple got their kid to hospital in a serious condition. They are from a small village, couple of hours from the town. I went to bus stop and met them and asked what the reason for their visit to the hospital. The kid is 5yrs old and attacked by poisonous fever. And they were too late to bring him for treatment. The father disclosed the death of the kid, with ignoring attitude towards me, I was sympathy on them and surprised with their behavior.

I absorbed the Kid mother, was quite and holding her mouth tightly with a piece of fabric. And the father was silent without showing any sad expression on his face. Still I don’t want to give up, trying to make them speak.

Kid’s father and mother controlling their emotions and tears by holding their son’s dead body.  Father explained; they have just enough money where they can reach to their village by bus. If the bus ticket collector know that we are carrying a dead body, he will not allow us inside, is the reason we are stocking our emotions and tears.  An eye opening experience, I really don’t know how i should react.

Poverty rules on your hunger & needs, also realized it rules on your emotions, indeed. 

An old say ‘richer get richer and poorer get poorer’, now ‘richer get richer and poorer becoming invisible’. 

I ask, Are rich pillars on poor fingers?