The Railway Breakfast Treat
(Food and Poverty)
The old lady
was looking at me intently. I felt so sure that she was coming to me for food.
It was a cold morning and this isn’t a surprising sight at the New Delhi
Railway Station, especially when there are a group of foreign tourists flocking
the platforms.
All the
destitute and the lazy will be giving the most helpless look and the foreign
tourist will be taken into the sob story. A nice and neatly hotel pack was held
in their hands. The beggar nearby, with his face covered was happily holding on
to one such delicious pack of breakfast.
The train
had just moved into the platform and we were all lining up neatly to board. I
kept praying that the old lady doesn’t come to me. I didn’t have the heart to say no to her. I genuinely
didn’t have anything to spare. The demonetization may not affect her, but I
felt guilty that I wasn’t carrying too much change either.
But what
came from her was an utter surprise. “Beta, I can’t eat this can I. The boys
here told me this has egg. I can’t eat something which is non-vegetarian,” she
said matter-to-factly. She was carrying a pack of muffins, a new pack that had
not been opened. I opened my mouth thinking to convince her to feed herself,
but spoke otherwise and asked her to leave it with the boy who was sleeping on
the floor. At least someone else would feel gratified with a morning treat.
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