LIFE...

Just when we start complaining about the sad little thing called life, that is, OUR LIFE ; we come across somebody who actually has issues...real issues. We sit in airconditioned coffee places with our friends, smoking, having steaming cups of cappucinos and lattes and playing the sad, sorry, whimpering little people, cribbing and complaining and merging our heartbreaking stories with enthusiastic accounts of latest fads, trips abroad and shopping sprees. Meanwhile the driver who has driven us to this fancy place is standing outside in the sun and heat, trying to figure out whether he should spend the leftover two thousand rupees from his salary on his sick child's medicines and the much-needed kitchen staples, or the electricity bill. It's a difficult decision for him since it's only the 19th of that month and there are twelve more days left till the next salary. In the same lane there is an old woman selling crocheted shrugs to the 'defence ki begums'; or perhaps selling is the wrong term to use as she has been pestering the ladies coming to these posh areas to buy something from her. She hasn't sold a thing for the last five days and must manage to get some money out of these 'baray log' so that she can take some flour home to her seven hungry grandchildren and her widow daughter who is waiting to make chapatis out of that flour. It has been two days since they last ate a somewhat satisfying meal of aloo shorba (potatoes in a watery sauce) and stale roti.
I can actually go on and on but there are too many people like that driver and the old woman who are fighting a new battle every single day of their lives and it's depressing to know that we are so heartless that we come across them everyday, shrug them off and go on feeling sorry for ourselves because of whatever problems WE have instead of counting our blessings...