Whose fault is this?

My car was speeding on the road as if the wet soap slipped from my hand slide in the bathroom. The sun was bit harsher today - is what the feeling I got as the AC in my car was proving ineffective to cool the small place!

I told my driver to switch off the AC and i wanted to have a feel of fresh air and saying this i slid down the glasses. "Ghosh!" it was too hot for the month of Feb. What will be the status in May if this continued". I wondered within myself.

The highway was totally empty today and i was entering into the ever-crowded Mumbai roads. I was telling myself, "It took only 120 minutes to reach here from Vapi but seems it would take another 90 minutes to reach the airport!" As usual the traffic was packed on the roads and literally every vehicle was inching forward.

My driver switched off the engine and suddenly sprang two innoncent faces on the windows of my car. They must be hardly 7 or 8. They were bare-footed. The hair was dry and it seemed they combed last at least a year back. The clothes were too old and i could also make out they had not taken bath for at least 4 days. Yes. they were asking for alms.

What a pity? Why should these kids beg? for whom are they working? Is this a type of employment or really they are helping their parents? What was the sin these kids would have made? Why they are made to suffer like this? they were supposed to play without any feel of a problem! But why? Just because it gave a momentary pleasure to their parents who were thrived off any other sort of entertainment, these kids are suffering?

I am not a social-worker to ask these kids whether they would prefer education to begging. Nor i can assure them that i can sponsor their studies. Even if they study, what is the guarantee that they would get a decent job? I sponsored their study but who will feed them, guide them in their daily lessons and make them pass in the exams? I cannot go against the Government and give them some employment in the name of helping them. I was shattered when i just imagined for a second my kid in place of those kids!

I simply put my hand into my purse, took a leaf (i was not sure whehter it was 10 or 50 or 100) and simply thrusted that in small soft palms of those kids and told my driver to switch on the AC and rolled up the windows. I am not sure how many more kids I would come across till i reach the airport.