The builder

Came out from “Jazz by the Bay’, a club in Mumbai, into Marine Drive. Called the ‘Queens Necklace’, this area is among the most desirable and expensive real estate in Mumbai. Was approached by a really old bent and gnarled woman begging for some money. I asked her where she came from. ‘Sholapur’ she said, but had been in Mumbai for longer than she can remember. She left her village in search of food and a better life. A better life ?…..


She came to Bombay (as it was then), when some of the buildings were still being built on Marine Drive. She smiled almost with pride as she told me that she was a labourer working at Rs 1 per day in those days. And then her wages went up to Rs 1.50 per day. She swept her hand proudly as she pointed at some of the buildings she had helped build. Suddenly she was no longer a beggar, lost in the mass of people of the street that India prefers to forget in the mass hysteria of India’s new billionaires and stock market (over) valuations. She was an individual that had contributed to society.

I gave her some money, and as I drove away she was still smiling and waving at me. I think I reminded her of a time when she carried herself with pride and hope. Even at Rs 1.50 a day And my last image of her was this frail old woman sillouetted against the large imposing residences. Still waving.

And I thought ….

Each building must now be exchanging hands at values over $ 100 million. While an old woman that helped build it still begs on the streets.

58 thoughts on “The builder

  1. dude… tu waise ka waisa hi rahega…
    there is hardly any difference in that woman and you…
    are you working to forget your uneasiness? answer would be obviously No…you would say ‘passion’…the urge to express inner turmoil…
    what is the real reason?…
    i am still working ( even though i have not achieved anything in social terms) is because i am still interested in FUCKING…!
    are you still interested in fucking? how your mind works at this age? you have been younger and now bit older…what change happened in you in terms of desires?
    kedar

  2. Nowhere is the contrast between the rich and the poor so large, as it is in Mumbai. Nowhere in the world. And India should be ashamed of this. WE should be ashamed of this.
    Cheers!
    Navin

  3. Well…(sigh) can’t say ‘a penny for your thoughts’! Can’t figure you out as yet….deeper than the surface yet…but, a creator for sure!

  4. Namaste Shekar
    My note to you has nothing to do with your latest post! I just wanted to tell you that I was just watching on ndtv “bollywood vs Hollywood” And I so agree with your comment on the debate…Couldn’t agree more……..
    I also wanted to introduce myself as I know you’ve been working on a fiction film on water film… I just finished a documentary film on water (five years in the making…) called: “FLOW For Love Of Water that just got picked by the Sundance Film festival in documentary competition. I hope we can speak one day….

  5. preety, it’s not just money. U cld give money to beggars just to shoo them away. But to give them respect, as they deserve to exist and live with as much dignity and respect as you and I do. To acknowledge their existence as an inherrent part of our society. For most of them were once productive, or have the potential to be productive.
    Once Nelson Mendela said to De Clerk ” I want you to giving me respect not because who I am or who I might be, but because I ‘am’. Just as I do to you because you ‘are”
    And Mandela fought his whole life on that one principle.
    Dont know why I htought of that, but it somehow felt relavent,
    Shekhar

  6. Shekhar.. you gave respect+money and felt happy about it.. and will be whenever you think about it.
    she received your money and respect and was happy about it.. till she spent it and was back to her sorry state..would she care about the respect or the money she spent?..NO! Would your money/respect make her a better person, a happier person?.. NO!
    with all due to respect.. I think you had the better deal.. (or maybe I am too much into Ayn Rand 🙂 )
    Giving her money and respect does not change the fact that she will be a beggar.. that does seem the correct ad hoc solution but then what? unless the “real” changes are made at the government grass root level to provide health care services to disabled and old.. its just throwing money and respect into a bottomless pit…

  7. Recently read a Khushwant Singh article…
    He called it a double whammy…
    Farm workers, tribals and villagers… a total of 25,000 people… walking on foot from Gwalior since October 2, 2007.
    October 29, 2007…. Cheers to India….
    A march in Delhi
    A rally in the share prices of few companies
    India buzzed
    Mukesh Ambani is the world’s richest man.
    A decent, organised demonstration in Delhi
    The 25,000 men and women had a sorry story to tell to anyone who could listen…. they didn’t have enough to eat even a single meal a day.
    India is prepared for a makeover… dams and factories on the lands that give dal and roti (not bread and butter) to a few thousands.
    Economic disparity… anyone thinking?
    HK

  8. directors eyes u see. only u could have looked it that way. some time ago i met my very old house maid who took care of me more than my mom when i was a baby. she saw me after many years and i could clearly see the pride in her eyes, as if she was saying i have a role in making u this big. Very similar to the feelings of the beggar u met, nahi.

  9. dude,
    you were not giving her any respect…you were just acting good…you were trying to give respect to yourself… is it so? isnt it possible? you might have missed sensing this? just a possibility…!
    we create the world…we manage it…only we can destroy it…till the destruction doesnt start, the uneasiness prevails…those who are conscious enough to notice this become passionate and compassionate…! they help others because they can sense the pain of others…because they are aware of their own pain…so by helping others,they feel they are helping or respecting others but actually they are helping themselves…
    You were helping your self…you were giving respect to your self!…
    kedar

  10. And ,
    No one can respect others only because they are!…
    Their being is also in a way means they are some body and for that the respect comes out from others…!
    Mandela’s statement holds a great power in it…!…
    respect me not for what i am but just because ‘I Am’…extremely compassionate statement…
    But who am i? …unless i dont know that i cant know who you are! so sorry, i cant respect you just for You are!…this is the trap in which whole mankind has got into…!
    kedar
    Ps: Mandela said this in terms of his social struggle…it is easy to understand it on that level…but i am taking that statement in the context of an individual.

  11. How you made her feel is simply priceless. In a rich get richer, poor get poorer world, maybe there is a message in her euphoria we can all learn from. I am not sure what it is, but something to dwell deeper on. Thanks for sharing such a beautiful experience.

  12. The lady’s sense of pride sounds, inspiring in some way. I wasnt sure if people still paid attention to beggars on the street,let alone care to ask where they came from ! Need to give this some thought now.
    On a different note I came across this blog, while just googling your name (for different reasons completely). Due to lack of time at this stage, I havent been able to read many posts yet, but I know I will keep re-visiting it.

  13. I think India is the place where capitalism has failed and it shows very clearly in Mumbai.It may not be the same in other big cities of the world.
    In Mumbai Police constables are living in slums. It is impossible for a middle class/Lower middle class or poor to get a place to live which can be considered to be fit for human beings.
    In all this Government turns a blind eye. If property prices are going up it is a sign that economy is growing and chidambran will pat his back.
    Economists will say as there is demand prices are going up.
    I do not think that in any other city of the world one can find such difference between rich and average person. Forget about the poor..

  14. Dear Shekhar,
    The above story reminded me of a quote that I read many years back:
    “Happy are those who give without remembering and receive without forgetting”
    I’m sure you did not give her money with the intention of removing economic disparity. It was just a humane gesture and I’m sure she’ll remember you for a long time. As long as we give with good intentions, that’s all that counts. Life will always be great for some and hard for others and we can’t change anyone’s destiny forever, so each act of generosity should be welcome.
    I’m in Hyderabad right now and the past weekend I visited the Hyderabad Film City which is such an incredible place. I am attaching the link to the album I made with some pictures from the film city.
    http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=miah9iv.k378lx3&x=0&y=s41gdg
    Please paste the above link and click on View Slideshow. I really liked the place.
    Best Regards,
    Himanshu – Hyd

  15. What does the word “beggar” mean, anyway? Someone who has no money at the moment, and can only get it by asking others to give some.
    Each beggar has a story. Who is telling the stories? Each person who’s a beggar today could have been a builder, or could become one. Or not. What does it matter? To value human life so low, to give a word like beggar to one of its possibilities, as if the people labeled beggar are nothing more than wind-blown dirt, separated from the rest of us… if we knew their stories, would we continue with labels like beggar? Or the policies that give them no other choice?

  16. I strongly feel, the people of the world and INDIA, need to understand that economical growth on grounds of crushing the weak, not giving their rights, the powerful fighting only for power while the weak get trampled and bleed, is not pwoer for me at all…it shows how insecure we are in seeking this so called power to put a medal on our backs, life is not about medals and conquests alone.
    But who am i? …unless i dont know that i cant know who you are! so sorry, i cant respect you just for You are!…this is the trap in which whole mankind has got into…! (Kedar)
    I dont think this is applicable when dealing with the weak who cannot understand this level of thought….they are merely struggling with basics of life, A little love a little compassion a little understanding can make the world go round more peacefully, it is spinning in todats date and making a mess, because it is spun on grounds of power and blood shed!!
    In all this Government turns a blind eye. If property prices are going up it is a sign that economy is growing and chidambran will pat his back. (Vishal)
    Why do we permit people like chdambran pat his back on this base? Who gave him to decide these policies? WE?/ And who is this “we”, it is the ones holding the chains of power, behind the scenes, and who build this power behind these scenes we!! So we are to be blamed for it in totality, each walking individual walking on our streets is responsible.
    you were not giving her any respect…you were just acting good…you were trying to give respect to yourself… is it so? isnt it possible? you might have missed sensing this? just a possibility…! (Kedar)
    Well said!! A strong possibility, but then in the process whatever the thought, atleast there was some response to stimuli, why cant we awake this stimuli in better forms, by fighting for rights of these people instead of our own pockets alone each time?
    It begins from home>>>I wonder how many folks pay their servants/drivers/cooks/cleaners/watchmen/washers and all thos eworking for us for a living, a good reasonable salary to make tehm feel like a human atleast?
    How many of us can permit their servants to sit on their very table and eat in the very dishes we eat in?
    How many folks go beyond and educate the children of these folks?
    Do we ever stand and ask them ki what is your need what is your dream? Can we look beyond our selfish needs and let them rise?
    Can the woman and men of richer class let their positions in offices go, which they obtained through power to let the needy and the hardworking go ahead? It needs real conviction!!!
    Cant the elite and the rich shake hands together and turn the events of politics and the state of affairs? They are the ones who are powerful, the poor are as it is dying…even if they fight for their rights….ther families rot while all they are left is with emptiness and war for them already has struck!
    I mean theres a lot of changes one can bring in smaller ways….Im so sure!!!
    changes are made at the government grass root level to provide health care services to disabled and old.. its just throwing money and respect into a bottomless pit…(Sridhar)
    The poor cant fight for this, who will fight for it? You and me and each individual of India, The rich and the ones holding the reigns, we should stop asking for growth only to run the rat race, we need to make the peopl ehappy, make them secure, and given justice, out entire system is a failure, everywhere!!! When we want to escape we will have one point>>>government! Escaping is one sure method of escaping responsibility, and the truel free ones are those who take responsibility, are we Free?
    but her contribution was paid for…isn’t it?and how does your giving money , help her ?? (Preety)
    Before this question is asked, ask your inner sefl! Do you think what she got paid was justified on any levels?
    Yes giving money is like feeding someone for a day!! So Shekhar has the power to stimulate the the ones in power, he is the one who can awake them….to feed these people for a life time, he is the one who will fight for them, and he has the ways!!!
    am still working ( even though i have not achieved anything in social terms) is because i am still interested in FUCKING…! (Kedar)
    I am sure so much fucking should inspire,(Lucky you, and i admire your honesty) or maybe the best has yet to happen to make you soar through those clouds of thy fate! maybe to search yourself you are still fucking.in ths restless world.
    ..
    I am so sure age has nothing to do with fucking, even if organs dont work aint mean the feelings die, and then its not all about fucking alone is it? or maybe it is!!! “Completion of one”
    Well we all restless in an ever restless world…this is us Humans!!
    I meant nothing personal here, If I hurt some personal feelings some where, would ask for forgiveness!!
    Smile!!!

  17. quite a provoking incident. something you can expect in a world where 10% of the population consumes 90%.. something that defies parreto’s law.

  18. Dq…
    yes honesty helps…there is a lot to talk about FUCKING…
    but sticking to the blog entry of dude…i would say that COMPASSION arises through one’s own misery…and one should be aware of that…especially the one who has not chosen social work as his MAIN profession!…because there is a great danger of losing TIME!
    making the society we live in, more just and balanced it a nice thought and one should constantly fight for it…one will have to fight endlessly because disparity is an eternal phenomenon…while doing that one has to be AWARE of his own self!…otherwise TIME moves ahead…we remain the same…and only TIME can dissolve TIME…only MIND can kill MIND!…
    in this context…i said FUCKING…i know age has nothing to do with FUCKING…that is why i asked Shekhar that is he still interested in FUCKING? …! Sex, Inter course, love making…there are other soft words i could have used…but i meant it HARD way…lol…pur carnal desire…FUCKING!…
    FUCKING is pure…Sex is impure…Sex includes lust, power, domination…Intercourse is for reproduction…Love making is sex with loved one…which turns into sex most of the times! ( i have differentiated on the basis of how these words SOUND to me…ultimately though they mean the same thing i used them to differentiate different phases of the same act)
    But FUCKING is FUCKING…FUCKING is MIND!
    so lets be aware of every breath…lets be aware of every second!…for TIME never stops! MIND never stops!
    kedar

  19. Shekhar its more like we all being gears(big or small) of this big machine called the Universe and here we are trying to sympathise and concentrate too much on certain small ones as if the bigger sized ones were to blame for them being small.
    Yes-no gears are dispensable for if they were the Universe wouldn’t let them exist.

  20. A film producer I once worked for described a producer as being ‘someone who goes round with a begging bowl’. This was in reference to the precarious nature of film financing in the UK. But I think he was also making the point that there is a certain indignity about having to ask for money when you are creatively invested in a project that feels worthy to you, but that may not seem financially viable to those with the means to make it happen.
    The story of Mandela is extraordinary precisely because he was able to defend his dignity during some of the most undignified circumstances. However, I believe that Mandela was serendipitously aligned with his life’s purpose early on, which gave him an authority that enabled him to transcend the pettiness and insecurity of his oppressors.
    For those of us leading more ordinary lives, ‘going round with a begging bowl’ represents those daily battles which sometimes place our dignity into jeopardy, but also paradoxically offer us the opportunity to defend it.
    The lady ‘beggar’ in Mumbai was merely doing what she needs to do in order to survive, but if you’re asking, she also has a life!
    Best,
    Liz.

  21. yes…sorry…sometimes i forget that i am typing and i go on typing as if i am in a discussion face to face…sorry…
    kedar

  22. Doesn’t this whole concept appear like a vicious circle?
    I mean… a woman who once had been working hard to keep herself from begging is in fact begging today… She wanted respect not because who she was or who she might be, but because she ‘was’.
    A man gives money to one such woman… to make the one feel respected who has already lost that sole feeling when she stretched her palm. Giving respect not because who she was or who she might be, but because she ‘was’.
    Somewhere, giving money might have been a respect for the act she was forced to do… but would receiving money this way also make her feel respected?
    Most of us might have given money to ‘beggars’ at some point or the other… out of charity (one of the most selfish feelings) or because of the fear of the unknown (again, one of the most self centered fears) or even to have an elated experience of being human (for the sake of the dying conscience).
    But, where does the beggar stand?
    Do you really think giving money to a beggar would make him feel respected…. or simply better for a while? Till the time he gets his next donor and we get our next beggar.
    HK

  23. Thank you Kedar! Thank you Shekhar (Your concern is appreciated)
    Agree ‘Fucking’ is the mind, but I can assure you my ears not FUCKED up, Yohooo I can hear you, mew mew!! ‘wink’ I get you loud and clear Kedar!
    Regarding Shekhar’s personal needs and desires, I certainly have no rights to ask, you have your rights for reasons best known to both of you. I had nothing to do with that.
    Yes, time is money ironical, life is all about loss and gains, I understand dear man! Loud thinking is permitted I hope! As I totally appreciate and agree with this pure ‘carnal’ desire
    Everything can be proven by statistics but simply not the truth!!
    Sometimes too much education leads to just calculations, the conviction is based just on them ironical. Disparity is an eternal phenomenon, agree does that mean we just let things happen or make things happen to take charge, our wisdom in this generation will be the common sense of next, atleast we can do something even in smaller ways, somewhere, someone awakes, and changes take place, thats all my issue was about. Im a simple person, who uses simple terms, hence can only explain from my simple thoughts, we tend to make simple things complex, its our FUCKING MIND, I agree (psst am i being too loud)
    I appreciate the way u stated all that insight on love making etc
    When you state its a state of mind,
    Then thats your side of the story…
    We can very easily state what is pure and impure, this is right and that is wrong, hell who laid the rules? Why so much of commotion, Fuck is a fuck, ask the ones who are unaware of all these facts and figures, do you think they think twice in fucking, or question themselves after it,or dont enjoy it, its a natural process simple, whatever one is upto.
    I do not find anything wrong in using this term’fucking’ so dont feel I am being funny.
    Agree time never stops, mind never stops, but my eyes did stop and read few things, and my fucking mind was already running, I forgot this>>>are you working to forget your uneasiness? answer would be obviously No…you would say ‘passion’…the urge to express inner turmoil…
    You compare the old woman and Shekhar here…
    Alas! I feel, one cant compare working for ‘passion’ and mere ‘survival’ under the same category.
    Either we dont want to see it or cant see it!!
    ‘Hum bhi aise ke aise hi rahenge huzoor, ab kya kariyega?’
    Hey chalo, itni narazgi bhi nahi, ‘bache ki jaan lenge kya’
    Smile

  24. dq,
    i wasn’t getting personal at all…it was as simple as are you still smoking?
    and the reason was one year ago Shekhar shared similar experience where he met a woman from solapur who came to mumbai in search of water…she was beggar too…
    repetition is a nature of life…are we aware of it? and this repetition occurs, takes birth from our deepest desires…so deep that we tend to ignore them or doesnt care to reach…
    this was the whole point…as simple as that…
    it is really embarrassing that Shekhar had to put his foot down to make me realize i am talking too much…words always create confusion…and i said sorry…
    its time for a long coffee break…
    take care…tata…
    kedar…

  25. The spontaneous forces of capitalism have been steadily growing in the countryside in recent years, with new rich peasants springing up everywhere and many well-to-do middle peasants striving to become rich peasants. On the other hand, many poor peasants are still living in poverty for lack of sufficient means of production, with some in debt and others selling or renting out their land. If this tendency goes unchecked, the polarization in the countryside will inevitably be aggravated day by day. Those peasants who lose their land and those who remain in poverty will complain that we are doing nothing to save them from ruin or to help them overcome their difficulties. Nor will the well-to-do middle peasants who are heading in the capitalist direction be pleased with us, for we shall never be able to satisfy their demands unless we intend to take the capitalist road. Can the worker-peasant alliance continue to stand him in these circumstances? Obviously not!
    By Chairman Mao Tse Tung.
    Well seems like India is heading to that direction.

  26. Dear Shekhar,
    A VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU. I hope the coming year brings you lots of happiness, prosperity, good health, and whatever you desire from life.
    ZEN TRAVEL
    A couple of days back on the program “100 Places to see before you die” on the travel channel they showed the Takshang Monastery or Tiger’s Nest located in Paro, Bhutan and that made such an impression on me that I just want to go there. It is the most important monastery in Bhutan and the place where Guru Rinpoche brought Tibetan Buddhism to the Himalayas.
    I read many reviews and all suggest that it is probably the most divine and peaceful place in the world and the energy of the place almost brought them to tears – the views of the mountains, the peace, the prayer flags, the amazing payer hall and the monks – it changed them forever . There are direct flights from Delhi to Paro and two of the best resorts Amankaro and Uma Paro to stay right below the tiger’s nest. People then generally go on a pony or trek to the actual monastery on the side of a cliff. It could be done in 2-3 days in the best way for under $2K per person. This a link to one of the best pictures of the monastery:
    http://www.buddhanet.net/bhutan-gallery/pages/Bhutan%2520114.html
    I don’t want to go alone for this spiritual journey and the first person I thought about was you, Shekhar. They say that if a request is genuine then there is no harm asking, so I thought I’ll ask you whether you’ll like be a part of this journey in a Mentor-Student form. I think it’s a little expensive for my old friends or the people I work with, and I was also sure that this is one place you’d really love. My Inbox will wait at himanshu_nyc@msn.com and as the Law of Detachment states, it’s the pure intention that matters most.
    I hope you have a truly wonderful day.
    Best Regards,
    Himanshu – Dec 6, 2007

  27. “Happy Birthday Shekhar”
    May this smile I smile at this moment, reach you…and give you a smile….
    Hugsssss…..

  28. Good Morning! Kedar!
    Areh, areh aise sharminda na kareh aap please!
    Hum tho aapse sorry nahi kahenge>>>mew mew!!
    It was with good intentions, we both spoke, loud thinking, I perfectly understand.
    Repetition is natures course I do so very agree, I know what you mean by not listening to the beat.
    Running after rainbows of life, we do tend to lose more than we gain….see I’m pathetic lol, ‘loss and gains’
    Do take care of yourself Kedar, aap jaanteh hai when I read all here, I educate myself, acha lagta hai, and you spoke, yu laga koi sun raha hai, if you could hear me if Shekhar hears me, someone else too will hear me….
    The reason of your outburst was me…you are alive……
    Sirf Coffee? Ye lijiye sahab…Pakoras rakh deti hu table par…Kha lena (pssst zeher nahi daala usme LOL)
    Smile and Hugs!!

  29. Going by Himanshu’s comment,
    HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU SHEKHAR.
    I have posted comments here many times, hopefully I will get a reply this time .

  30. The whole world is begging for something, a big industrialist begs for 100 cores so that his company can expand, politicans beg for votes, directors beg for audiences, jokes apart every individual behaves differently to a given situation it is all in your horoscope and the placement of planets in different houses, if you can email your time and dob and place of birth i could tell you why you behave in a particular manner

  31. what you have expressed is nothing new except that you frammed it into a nice moralistic story that the world is disinterested in or rather choose to ignore……..actually Mumbai is full of these people and if only we have the time to listen there will erupt some grat stories!One time i met an eunuch on the local train and chatting with her realized she spoke english fluently and was a doctor but unable to practice as he had recently castrated himself,hence he moved out to Mahim where he joined the Hijra community with medical help especially for the inhuman castration that prevails there!Now that too is a story though not so well expressed as yours Shekhar yet it has layers in it speaking of loads of issues!!Thats just one of the stories though i met tons of others i learnt so much from though very little learning from the materialistic mumbaites on a cool journey to nowhere new or exciting!

  32. nee that is an amazing story, and if u wld elaborate on it, I would like to post it as a blog. shekhar

  33. This was really really really depressing Shekhar. I think I should go back to reading comics and watching POGO, where things are nice and happy. I am thinking, ‘Why addon more darkness to an already screwed life’??

  34. Hi Sekhar
    I rather ponder upon the difference between the old south mumbai buildings and the recent buildings in Mumbai. Why does it always feels the earlier buildings were built by the people who it seems, loved to build, to create. They built-like Mumbai was their own. But today’s builders build it like its somebody else’s! What an Irony! No doubt the builders of the yester years are treated like this. The burning example is Crawford market renovation plan!

  35. ur story was damn good. i have stories to where can i get the source to bring it out

  36. Hi Shekhar,
    I really enjoy reading the stories that you write. The picturesque description turns them into a short film. I have read each of them quite a few times. The essence behind these stories really touches me. It would be really nice if you share some more stories or happenings with us (whenever you find time off course…).
    Thanks Nishad

  37. It was really nice to give her money, but that would help her for how many days? I have been in this city since birth, and I see things getting worse everyday. You hear such stories and all you do is thank god for having nice people like you around.
    Beggars are just a part of the total scenaria, there are people at different level who face problems that moves my heart. I stay at Marine Drive and the fruit and vegetable vendors are forever on their toes, cause the municpality people come and take their stuff, they either have to pay money or part with their stuff.
    I really wish I could do something for them, they have served the people in my locality since ever. They are the hardworking breed of people who are victims of changing laws of the country.

  38. Shekhar, Are you sure she smiled and waved her hand when u gave her the money? I only c little beggar kids doing tat.Coz They still dont understand The Humiliation of living on alms. Bt whenever I gave money to a middle aged or an old beggar i never saw that smile or happiness. Then finally I stopped looking at them… Because i knew that the only favour you can do to a beggar is- Not looking into his/ her eyes when your giving them any money. It takes them closer to their helplessness:)I doubt she smiled. Guess, you misunderstood her expressions in the dark.

  39. STRUGGLER’S PARABLE
    She feels like a fallen star,
    Alone on the rugged ground;
    The heights snare at her,
    Her shine is fading, its unseen around.
    She feels like a forgotten tune,
    Her rythem lost, her melody breathless;
    The new song of the day has played her trick,
    Is time whispering, that the wait is endless?
    She feels like the wretched flower,
    She was promised life- a beautiful life;
    But the promise was an illusion and as the horizon darkens,
    She can see time raise that ugly slaughtering knife.
    I see many of her stories everyday,
    Not just her…but of many hers;
    All for a few minutes on the 70 mm,
    She struggles for that blessing…while lives on the curse.
    U spoke about Mumbai city…and spoke so rightfully. So often we see so much of helplessness around this place. Two worlds living in India’a biggest metropolitan. One that sees a lifetime of success. The other too sees a lifetime of success…but only as his/her eyes close for the few hours of rest after another day of struggle.

  40. Strange… Isn’t it… Shekhar Jee???

    A thought that crossed my mind a thousand time before; you put it down on paper, so beautifully. I would sit by my window sill every morning with a cuppa coffee… Luxury in Bombay you kno, to have that kinda time. And would see these labourers working to make this huge building in front of my existing structure… Guess what??? They had made my existing structure too and on the eighth floor of my building, these people would look really tiny and their little huts stood pretty helpless. And that’s when I realized that, these people who worked day and nights to make homes, could never really make a permanent “basera” for themselves… The society is ready today and before we knew it, the huts disappeared, probably to make new homes… Hoping, some day they make their own.

    High Regards,
    Pooja

  41. Bagger is still bagger and reacher are becomeing more recher….one line of the whole story.

    Please think out of the media’s mind.— And notify any bagger who is still bagger if he / she worked heard to come out of the situation. No one will be.

    I know a bagger who is having 5 Wives, 9 Children, a TV ,a Freedge in his “HUT’. He is takeing direct electricity connection and bagging is their family bussiness. 🙂 If i think about his future… he will have one or two more lady, three or four more children and computer in his hut, and he will still doing his family bussiness.

    India is shining, of course and there is no doubt. Here in Gujarat we pay minimum 650/- per day charge to a labour. Even we are suffering from scarcity of labour. Amount labour got per month is more then the salary of any fresher MBA or Computer Operator. But what labours are doing with the this income. They take Alchohol, they go to local casino. (For those who do not know the reality :-Gujarat consumed alchohol more then any other state – cause we are dry state)

    Now think about recher – they are having some amout of fame, proud and sense of responsibility. That feeling made them work heard and as they work hard they will become more reach.—

    Feeling is good for us. But they are having more understanding then us…they are always playing with our emotions. and Shekhar today you gave her 1.50 Rs., oince she will take 150 from you because she knows you are emotional person.

    So, when we feel to become fool- we will help them up to the extend to our foolishness or otherwise @#$% them all.

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