children of the indian slums
81
Have you ever looked into the face of a child born of poverty…looked right into his eyes, held the gaze and wondered what he was thinking? Or did u flinch, momentarily confused, and walk away relieved to be back within the comfort of your safe world?
If you ever did look, you would find yourself swimming into their depths….the little dark pools of eternal want - the one that comes from perpetual longing. Yet, there is a certain fearlessness too that stares right back at you. The reckless defiance that comes when there is nothing in life you can call your own. For with earth below their barefoot feet, and the open sky above, these children have no place to rest except the open arms of life itself. In that vast space, even fear dare not tread.
There’s an uncomplicated pattern to Lakshami’s days. She was named after the goddess of wealth and prosperity, though she’s never even seen the back of a rupee note, let alone what it can buy! At the crack of dawn, she’s up with other slum children, not to go to school, but to head towards the slum public toilets next to the railway lines. Here in the open ground, standing with hundreds of other exposed bodies, she breathes human excrement, germs and flies, while starving dogs look on.
Trains amble past, carrying faceless passengers to their busy lives, as they cringe their noses at the stench. Lakshami is mildly amused; to her the smell symbolizes only one thing: home
She spends the day with her mother, combing through rubbish piles looking for materials they can sell for recycling. This means, working at least 12 hours a day and earning less than a dollar for it. Lakshami’s belly has the distended look that comes with slow starvation: breakfast on good days is a mixture of sugar and water; dinner a dry piece of chapatti. The rest is what her grubby fingers can find rummaging through trash ditched regularly by trucks near the slums. Even garbage comes in different qualities, you discover after years of working through it for a living. The one collected from the big towns smells and tastes better, compared to the one from smaller districts. Yesterday, she even found a mango, half eaten on one side, and despite the rotting pulp, it tasted far better than anything she’d had in days.
Sanjay is, of course less lucky. He was sold to the slum’s beggar Master because his parents drowned in the monsoon rains that yearly flood Indian villages. He himself barely survived dysentery, and his malnourished frame can only just support him. That was a rare stroke of luck in itself, as most of the slum children die anyway of malaria, since the medical care even if available, is beyond their paltry means. Along, with other children, he’s now dropped off every morning at the town bazaars to beg for money, all of which he owes to the master naturally.
Ali, his begging partner has a different story altogether: he drags himself on crutches because the master amputated his legs when he was only a year old. You see, Ali is low-caste…and everyone knows that is worse than the life of a slum dog itself, though the money he earns exceeds their whole team put together. The master calls him his ‘prize’ beggar, and all the children secretly envy him.
Yes, it’s a morbid
existence...but it leaves one wondering at the resilience of human nature to
survive and prevail under the harshest of conditions. And so when the
evening falls, and the slum children return to their little shacks, they find
reasons to laugh…and the energy to chase each other with broken sticks and rags
along those rat infested alleys. One sees them playing games like any other
children, swaying to tunes of their own making.... even in that blighted corner of
their little world!
And at night, no one comes to read or sing to them, or tuck them to bed, as there is no blanket to tuck, and only the hard ground to lay on. Yet, not a word of complaint escapes those dry lips….or ruffle those sunburnt brows... nor does it occur to them to question the bleak reality of their lives. They have learnt even at that age, not to ask, question....or even hope for answers. So they quietly close their eyes to a dreamless sleep… and despite the clouds that hang low on their days, the shadows all fade away….and for a moment they are neither poor nor rich, but just little children again.
- BBC NEWS | South Asia | India\'s \'biggest slum demolitions\'
The BBC's Soutik Biswas in Mumbai writes on whether the demolition of slums in India's richest city will work.
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God in the Slums
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Slum Children Playing in Bomb Ruins Photographic Poster Print by Alfred Eisenstaedt, 18x24
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God in the Slums
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Slum Children in Notting Hill Section Photographic Poster Print by Terence Spencer, 12x16
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Comments
yes, I know...it's just hideous! this is one of the reasons why I wanted to highlight such 'unchecked' cruelty going on in the world, where a bribe in the right hands can let anyone get away with it, irrespective of the what the law says. thank you Nancy for feeling for these children....I sometimes cannot sleep at night thinking over what they go through.
I love your writing my friend, it's when I read something like this that I get annoyed at some fool getting you annoyed. You are my best friend, you are one beautiful lady and one intelligent writer. Never argue with a fool, you will never win against one.
Always remember the important things in life like this hub and always remember you will always be 10 times a better writer than that fool. Take a hug and keep smiling, your hubs always make me appreciate my life, thank you xx
see, now I just sit here smiling from my heart...tears in my eyes and at a total loss for words! I should have listened to you....but I'm still learning to find my way here, and at times one just ends up saying things one doesn't mean. anyway, these forums are hard work...and it's easy to lose perspective here, so thanks for reminding me of the real reason why I'm here! you're just wonderful....xx
Suddenly I feel guilty for all of the things in my life. You can always make me feel lucky and fortunate just for being born where I was. Your words are magical. They can take the reader wherever you want them to go, and see what you want them to see. You are by far one of the best writers I've found on here, as well as one of my best friends as well.
Bloodnlatex said it for me: I feel guilty for all the good things in life that these children don't have, and that I don't appreciate enough.
You have the writer's gift to bring these children to us, up close where we can't help but see and hear them, and feel for their plight.
blood, I'm just too emotional today...and your words tear me up again. thank you so much...for just feeling with me...it's all I ever hope for when I write. Never ever feel guilty for enjoying life... I think when i left Asia (years ago) I was haunted by this guilt. How could I ever be happy, when somewhere back home kids were starving? And then I realized that it's ok...and that just by smiling and giving out positivity u do your little bit...and even that is something...stay happy x
and paradise 7, such a brilliant writer like yourself, it's always a pleasure to be read by you! (or read u) thank you.
I'd like every person that ever complained about the U.S. and their policies and their not getting "their due" with the Bailout to read this hub, myownworld. The world can't be that small if a society such as this one can exist on the very same planet. I absolutely heartbroken to see and read this hub. I did see Slum Dog Millionaire and so instantly thought of it while reading. I want to thank you for sharing this hub with all of us, myownworld. Thank you.
It is just unfathomable to me when I see these beautiful children smiling in pictures or on film. I don't even know what to feel. Is it a message of hope? Do I pity them? Have they just not yet learned to pity themselves? THen there are the vacant faces of young children raising their family of 2 or 3 or 4 even younger children. Heartbreaking.
dohn and rmcrayne...two writers I respect so much! thank you for your insightful comments.
yes, I ask myself those questions a million times too, but I've only come to one conclusion, that is human life is much more resilient than we can imagine...and because they haven't known any better, it's amazing how these children are almost content within that world of theirs - that in itself is heartbreaking too! cheers for reading..!
I have travelled to India but left earlier than planned because I was too affected by the human suffering and abject poverty which was everywhere, and which I was unable to ignore. Unlike an image on TV, when you are there, you can't just switch it off.
Your article brings it all back so vividly, and once again I am filled with sadness and anger.
You consistently touch our souls with your profound accounts of human suffering and remind us all that we have so much to be grateful for, and absolutely no right to complain.
Perhaps one day, we will have raised human consciousness to a level where there will be no more Slum Masters because there will be no more slums, no more innocent children mutilated and exploited, tottering on the edge of starvation.
Perhaps.
I also travelled to India and was deeply affected by the poverty. But the hope and resourcefulness of the people was something they could wear with pride. With your permission, I would like to use this hub for my English class in a 'poor' New Zealand High School. I get a little tired of people in the West telling me how hard they have it. And if some of the people who read this do a little more to help, we can rid our planet of this terrible poverty. After all it would be cheaper to feed and educate these people and then trade with them rather than go to war with them or sell them weapons to go to war with someone else. As always your writing soars.
thank you for the wonderful words sanny and cally2....having witnessed these horrors at such close range, and now living in the west myself, there are times when I cannot stop marveling at the contrast between the two worlds....nor can I cease appreciating the little comforts people here take for granted!
And yes, these wars only seek to aggravate situations... (I for one have personally seen pakistan being destroyed by the impact of russian invasion of afghanistan, the repercussions of which are being felt to this day)
My heart is just with the common man (esp. children) caught in between....may there be hope for them! thank you once again for reading and understanding. and yes, cally2, i'm more than happy to know u want to share this work with students in your class...even that fills me with hope!
Every time I read one of your stories and see your pictures, the world becomes smaller. We have got to learn that humanity is headed for destruction through our greed at the expense of others.
Please continue to share your experiences providing a voice to the things that needs to change throughout the world...
Thanks Myownworld! As said, you're a special writer who shares a piece of your heart with every word and the more I read the more it becomes obvious... you're a special being! Thanks loads for another amazing journey! TG
The innocence of children living under such harsh conditions and still able to find a short time for play overwhelms me. Thank you.
thank you Money, Terence and Flight for reading and appreciating. yes, I know the unfairness of all this overwhelms one, but so does the way these children continue to laugh and play and be actually content with what they have! it's almost like a way of the universe to 'balance' itself out. it's fascinating really. cheers all...and all my love x
It is so ridiculously frustrating, that feeling of helplessness that there is absolutely nothing one can do to stop outrageous human behaviour. A well written chapter of a world that doesn't care. And yes, the ability to find moments to laugh and play is overwhelming. I'm honoured to be your friend.
I think most of travelers go India to view there Culture, Forts and Poverty. I saw many of travelers enjoy to have photo with these. I think they are making them fun. Yeah India have around 30% people below the poverty line. I don't know exact way how to overcome from this( i just do some donation on NGO's). But i really hope the day will come when these families will eat three tomes a day, As India is Developing with nice speed.
thank you EnglishM and Robert for reading and commenting! take care..
myownworld that was just a heavy experience for me to read this hub and an even heavier one to stare Into the eyes of those children in the pictures . Especially that first one .
I like to consider myself a quasi tough guy but this whole hub made me want to cry and to pray for those children at the same time. I live near the mexican border and have been down to Tijuana and seen some very Impoverished circumstances . But gazing at the slums of India Is just heartbreaking as I have always had a big heart for children . Thank you for making me sit up and take notice.
I know how you feel tony...it's just one of those realities in life that takes so much courage to face.... But I admire you for being in touch with your real self....and for feeling compassion for these children. For that, I thank you. much love...
Wow. I'm practically speechless. This was amazingly moving. You are a gifted writer, my friend!
I have read similar stories in the books by one of my favorite authors, Rohinton Mistry. Not that I like to read of this horrific lifestyle but I want to know. Thanks for confirming what I have discovered in his books. I have not looked into the literal eyes of poverty as you describe.
a very warm thank you to habee and storytellers for reading and commenting (two very gifted hubbers themselves!). yes, am a great admirer of Mistry's works too...and A Fine Balance is one of my favorite books ever!...cheers for stopping by!
I hear the voice of a woman crying from the wilderness. 'Tis you my dear friend. Who will help them? Who really cares? I wish I could do something, I do care and I am horrified of such things. I do not understand or barely comprehend how such things can exist today. You break my heart woman. Charles
something about this comment just touched me so deeply. maybe, it's knowing someone understands....feels the same helplessness....longs to reach out. I have just tears left now. happy, grateful tears. thank you....
I am in tune with this, I am a veteran of poverty you see. I came from low standards, a boy discriminated against for his brown eyes and very dark skin, almost half-breed of Native American blood.Of my 6 siblings, I was only one that looked this way. I had to fight to survive and survive I did. I am in tune with the poor, the down trodden, no matter where they are.
see, if out of all that hardship was born a gifted and brilliant writer like you, then there is hope for every child in those slums! pain begets beauty... strangely, sadly, there is truth in it. my heart tells me so. sending you much love and joy...and smiling your way...x
This is, as I've said in one of my Hubs, the real pornography - that children have to suffer like this in a world in which there is so much wealth. The system is so rotten that can allow this to exist. We need that "bloodless revolution" that fellow-Hubber Paraglider has writte of. The greed and selfishness that allows people, especially children, to suffer when we have in our hands the means to put a stop to it really gets "my angry up" as a friend used to say.
Thanks for this eloquent and moving Hub.
Love and peace
Tony
thank you for your insightful comment tony. yes, I know...among other emotions, anger is one thing I too feel, esp. if u actually witness the mass scale of this misery and poverty. I personally, can't get over how people can actually live...and even smile under these circumstances... inhuman as they are, but they do...and that tells me that this world must have a way of balancing itself out somehow...! anyway, cheers for stopping by and reading!
Myownworld, I have to set aside the time to dedicate to reading your hubs. I can be guaranteed to feel a whole gambit of emotions each and every time. I need to have a box of Kleenex handy, and the time to compose myself after. I have learned to make that time before coming to your hubs.
You are truly a gifted lady. The writing is only half of it. You have to "feel big" to write the way you do.
Again today I am sitting here blubbering as I read. Amazing what you can do with the written word!
Thank you. Sincerely, thank you.
Myownworld, I always look forward to your hubs. I know they will stir emotions and that I will feel something.
This one left me wanting to snatch little Ali away and take him home with me. I wanted to take him and give him a life he could never imagine; one with stability, care, comfort, food, health and love. I even thought to myself, "How could his master ever catch me?" It was a beautiful fantasy, but then I wondered, would there be another baby enduring amputation to take Ali's place?
You are such a gifted writer. You will change the world with your words. I'll be cheering for you all the way.
Love,
Cheeky
Duchess and Cheeky...it's me who needs to thank you for such wonderful things you've said! I get very emotional when I read comments such as yours, especially coming from writers I admire and respect so much...hence, please forgive me if I'm not very eloquent here. Just know that i had tears in my eyes...and that I'm sending the warmest love and wishes your way...xx And yes, lots of healing for Ali too... my heart tells me it will reach him somehow.
Myownworld, You have done a beautiful job here capturing the plight of the neglected children of India! It is heartwrenching, yet the Truth needs to be told. As you pour your heart out I pray the Lord will mend any inner brokeness! You are a talented, gifted and compassionate writer. Thank you for caring and sharing, Blessings!
Deborah you say the loveliest things always! it's entirely my pleasure to be read by you.....your compassionate heart understands I know. all my love and many thanks xx
I, like you, find myself not able to sleep thinking of the millions of children in the world, who are suffering the consequences of wars and natural disasters, and victims of the unscrupulous. May God help them. There will be a reckoning one day, and all their tears will be wiped from their eyes, and their world will be a world full of love and plenty. Please look at my hub: World Refugees 2009. The world is full of the suffering, homeless, and starving. It breaks my heart.
Magic...I'm with you... thank you for reading and feeling with me. yes, will be reading your hub soon. take care and peace!
Wow, this is so eye opening, we know it exists but sometimes we bury our heads in the sand to ignore what's going on in the world. Very emotional story, you did so good expressing this side that we tend to ignore. My very best, Ladybird
thank you ladybird for reading....and seeing what so many of us choose no to. A pleasure to read your comment! much love..
Nobody wants to know that conditions like this exist, but unfortunately they do myownworld. We live in our safe environment, and eat really well...compared to what others eat...yet many complain what is placed in front of them. When I was a boy, my grandfather would save clothing, and canned goods,and once a year, he and I would cross the border into Mexico, Tijuana to be exact, with these goods. We would drive to a place just over the border called "shantytown". The people lived in shacks built mostly of cardboard, and scrap pieces of anything they could find. My grandfather would distribute his goods as evenly as possible to those poor people. You could see how sickly they were from not eating right, and the lack of hygiene. I never asked my grandfather why he did that, because I didn't have to...it was always in his eyes, and written on his face whenever he saw suffering.
You have a way of bringing this issue up, for everyone to see myownworld. People would be more grateful for the very little things they have, and realize how rich they really are. God Bless myownworld.
Jess
I'm smiling (with happy tears) at your comment Jess. Your grandfather seems like a great man. People who do these little kind acts, inspire me beyond words...and now I see where you get all your compassion from. We're the same...i can tell. Deep down inside, we long to help those who suffer... and hard and disillusioning as it seems at times, this need is something always burning within.
take care my friend...a very special thank you to you. x
I completely support your efforts to highlight this issue. I honestly think that it is the priority of our times, ahead of terrorism, and certainly ahead of Britney Spears, David and Victoria Beckham, etc! Keep up the good work (I have some hubs on poverty also, if you are interested...)
It is surprising to hear you talk of this as I do not know many indians who discusss these matters, even the self made doctors who out of poverty became something. It is like they do not want to look back, they are ashamed. The caste system really is something it's like the jim crow law of the 50's. I'm glad you are helping to spread awareness when others turn the other cheek. Please keep up the good work.
Adsense thank you for your wonderful words...here and for fan mail. Just waiting for a quiet moment to read your work...hopefully soon! thank you for being a fan...am honored actually!
Millionheir: I do agree with you completely, and maybe, it's because I really do not belong any one place ( was born in pakistan to indian parents...but spent my whole life traveling; then lived in france for 5 years before moving to london!) One learns so much through intermingling with other cultures - but most of all, you learn perspective! thank you for the great comment!
First, I wanted to say how great you're writing are,I didn't know until I came across your hub(of course how will I know had I not read one, LOL!) I came from a third world country the Philippines, where poverty are also evident.Back then,everyday, going to work I'd see children begging on the streets and all I can do is to give them whatever food that I have on my hands, though, I wanna give more, that time I was also a struggling,working single mother of two earning a bit higher than a minimum wage. Sometimes,I just don't wanna see those kids roaming because its really hard to stomach the plight they're going. Hay! those poor souls...
thank you Maudine for reading and sharing your own experience. i know...to see is to believe....and it's only till you see these beggars with your own eyes that the truth of this reality really hits you. My heart is with every single child suffering in this world...and I wish we could somehow do more for them! cheers again for stopping by!
This is a good hub. Your heart has to go out to these people who have to survive in these conditions. I doubt the life expectancy is very long. We all have to do more to help eliminate poverty. Children are always the first victims of poverty. Every life is precious. Thanks for this!
Such a good read! I share your thoughts on this thoroughly
It makes me realise there is so much I take for granted.
It's funny bring new to this and finding out there are so many people's work I enjoy reading.
I think you have a new fan here mate!
Such a good read! I share your thoughts on this thoroughly
It makes me realise there is so much I take for granted.
It's funny bring new to this and finding out there are so many people's work I enjoy reading.
I think you have a new fan here mate!
Sa Toya, thank you for reading and feeling with me! And for becoming a fan...cheers!
Your Welcome
Sorry I didn't realise I posted a comment 3 time my laptop was freezing and being a nutter all day today
I know you are enlightened enough to know that with that condition comes the unrelenting images of despair and starvation in the greater world, while perhaps in your own piece of the world everyone thrives. It is difficult, I know, to perceive that we can do so little. I send my compassion to you and your awareness. Hopefully you have found ways to make some changes in your world. Great hub!
thank you Mega for that lovely comment! and for becoming a fan! Hope is a beautiful thing...and lives in the hearts of men....even in the poorest of slums! May it never die...
Once again your words not only show the plight of children born into the slums of India, but show the huge heart that you have for all people. Hopefully your well written words will bring light and hope to eventually end this travesty.
Peggy, thank you for reading....and feeling with me. Sending much love to you...
This is very nice story and it brings disgrace to Indian peole.. Why the hell government did not take any step for teh betterment of these children..? it is sad.. but true..
The ordinary indian people are not to blame for this - they have the warmest most generous soul...it's those in power that misuse it. Anyway, thank you for reading and commenting!
Nancy's Niche says:
2 months ago
This story literally brought me to tears. These children suffer for the greed, cruelty and ignorance of adults and the corruption of governments. Where are the laws that protect children in countries like yours against these hideous “masters”?