I stepped out of the Subway at Elgin Road to receive a call and then made a few. There is this table just outside where a family was sitting. The kid was about a year and a half and his father was playing with him when a kid around 12 years old, peddling some Chewing gum walked up to them.
From my position I could see the contrast between the kid dressed in dirty clothes who asked us to buy chewing gum to feed his little brother (or so he said) and on the other side was this kid who was well dressed and taken care of by his parents.
It was at that moment when I felt a strange kind of guilt. God was kind enough to give me a childhood which gave me everything I needed to live in comfort and opportunity to do whatever I want in my life.
Years back I promised myself that I would help those who were less fortunate than me. Years later I haven't really done much.
BTW I did buy the gum. I spent Rs. 10 to appease my guilt. After which I bought a Rs. 200 ticket and snacks and laughed my head off to a nice movie.
- Pranay
3 comments:
You might think you did a good deed. But chances are that the two kids who put up a show in front of you take the money to buy some drugs!
Help in the right way through charity by sponsoring kids.
Nice thought btw.
I guess ur right.
Point was I chose the easy and wrong way to appease my guilt.
My earlier comment had a history behind it. We succumbed to this guilt and shelled out a good Rs. 500 to a boy who begged us for some money for him to buy a shoe shine box! He even called us up after 2-3 days to say that he has bought he box and has started earning.
Later I read an article on how this is a common trick played by street kids to make some easy money. And they look out for people like us, who they know will feel guilty enough not to question it.
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