Every day I saw him sitting at the same place asking the passersby to give him a penny or two. He looked decent, didn’t have any sort of disability but still why did he resort to begging? I always thought about asking question this question to him, but then the busy life we lead hardly allows us to stop and ask people like him. I always dropped him whatever little I was left with after my college expenses.
One day when I was early to the auto stand I saw him talking to a woman. She looked pretty, yet distressed. She was offering him money which he would not accept. I was obviously baffled. She was offering him good amount for I saw Rs 500 notes, but he kept on denying. Ultimately, seeing that her efforts were futile, she left. Since I was early as well as curious, I knew I had to ask him what exactly his story was. I gave him Rs 50 note. He glanced at me and smiled. I smiled back only to notice tears at the corner of his eyes. Mustering courage I asked him who the girl was. He looked down and kept quiet. Knowing that I had hit the wrong cord, I began to leave, when I heard his feeble voice, “my daughter, Neelam.”
For a moment I didn’t know how to react and merely stared at him. This time he took the initiative to break the silence and answered, “she tries to give money but I don’t deserve it.”
“Why are you saying that?”
We both were quite. Seeing that I had rekindled bad memories, I was about to leave when he again began speaking, “It was my mistake. I could not fulfil her dreams and hence she resorted to this.”
“What dreams are you talking about?”
To this question, he began sobbing now. I tried to comfort him and decided to miss the bus and be late for college, but I had to ask this man what dreams were so big for her daughter to resort to this.
“I was a daily wage labourer. I didn’t earn much. Had two daughters and a son. My son died in a car accident which left me as the only earning member of the family. My younger daughter, who you saw today, had her own dreams. She wanted to be a doctor and help the poor. I obviously could not afford to even send her to school. I earned only enough to make both ends meet. 2 years later, her mother died and I was obviously distressed. In my anger I screamed at her and told her that I could not afford her studies and thus she should give up her dream and better start looking for a job so that she could earn something. As the days passed my rattling increased and I began to vent out my frustration on my elder daughter by beating her. She was docile, Neelam was not. She went out to look for job. She obviously got one and began earning enough.”
At this point he stopped to wipe his tears, the second bus passed. I stood there waiting for him to finish the story. “You don’t have to go?” he asked. “Not until I hear your story.”
“You are just like her. She would never leave anything mid way”. Though he smiled I could clearly see the tinge of sadness. He continued, “When I saw her earning enough, I stopped going for work. I exhausted all the resources we had. My elder daughter reached a marriageable age. I still didn’t mend my ways. I became alcoholic. Neelam, obviously looked at this and arranged for all the expenses. Soon my elder daughter became a bride and left our home.”
“I was lost in my own world until I saw her talking to a man at the front door. I was furious and went to hit him. At this moment, Neelam sided with him and left. I was too drunk to realise what had happened. The next day when I was sober, I saw the same man leaving Neelam. Seeing me, she tried to rush to the kitchen. But truth cannot hide. That evening, Neelam told me all about her job. She was working as an escort. Without realizing why she was driven to do this, I ordered her out.”
At this point, he looked at me. I had tears in my eyes. He smiled and said, “Don’t worry, she has been married to an amazing man. She doesn’t work as an escort anymore. She told me that he came across her by accident and fell in love with despite what she had been into.”
I obviously was suppressing my urge to ask him what made him sit here and beg when her daughter has apparently forgiven her and was trying to help. He perhaps knew what I wanted to ask and thus said, “I have become hollow after the alcohol and I only have the strength to beg. As far as Neelam is concerned, I wasn’t there when she needed her father. This is my way to punish myself. I am happy that she is doing well.” He said and smiled.
It was late by now and I was hurrying to leave. “Take care, I will see you tomorrow.” As I said this and was about to leave, he shouted back, “Oh I just forgot to mention, she is starting with her medical studies next month.” His joy was obviously too apparent.
Note: Image used in this post is only for representational purpose.
