Thursday, 16 February 2012

View from the top of my building


Sometimes one incident changes the course of life, for me it was about 15 years ago. I was at home doing nothing so I decided to go at the top of my building to get a nice view of the city. I was all alone there. From there, I could see the whole city, it was a slum at one side and the high rise towers on the other. But it was the slum side which attracted me more, I kept on staring that side and a weird thought of spending a whole day in a slum struck my mind. I told my parents about my decision to live in a slum for a day and to my surprise they didn’t opposed it.

It was about six in the evening; I left home and moved to that slum. I was going to live their life for 24 hours. As soon as I went through those shabby shanties, which they called home, children playing with the tyre and tubes came to me hoping for a chocolate but I had nothing with me, not even a single penny. I also started playing with them but soon realized that it was getting darker. I also needed a shanty for spending the whole night. I went deeper into the slum. It was almost the meal time for the slum dwellers and now I was one of them. I saw a woman making dough for the chapattis, all the flies were also a part of the meal making process. I couldn’t even look at that. A family allowed me to spend a night in their shack. It was one big family of as many as 4 girls and 3 boys. I could not even eat that food, but it was a full dinner for them. There were electric wires but no electricity. Empty stomach, it was time to sleep with the good company of mosquitos, and some frightening sound. In the morning, to my anticipation there was sanitation system. I attended the nature’s call in natural environment. I was one of them.


Well, to my relief some children did went to school and for the rest, I was their teacher for the day. When all the children came we had lunch together. Now, I was feeling one of them. The day passed without any happening. My 24 hours were completed. I went home. There was delicious food but I could not eat it, there were no mosquitos but still I could not sleep. Today, 15 years after, here I stand, chief minister of ‘Uttam Pradesh’, youngest CM of any state, right in front that place but there is no slum. All are resettled in a better place. The state has the highest GDP. There is development all over. 
Par aaj bhi dil mein yehi sawaal hai…..have I made it large.

9 comments:

  1. Slightly misquoting...
    Man behlaane ko Ghalib, ye khwab achha hai.. ;)

    Keep it up.

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  2. Hats off to your parents to allow you to spend one day there, not many parents would do that. Now, lets come to your question, Have I made it large?
    The place might have become a better place, but what about the people who stayed there 15 years ago? Are they spending a better life or is it someone else who is staying at this place now? The reality is that today also rich is becoming reacher and poor is becoming poorer. Till the time we don't realize that the actual growth is when we are able to ensure that ever stomach gets food to eat and each body gets clothes to wear and a roof to stay under and not in GDP which is dependent on factors which do not impact common man, we cannot make it large.
    Story in pieces

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  3. Strange but appreciable move from your parents...very few of them allows...
    anyways that was really appreciable stuff from your side too...their lives are worth experiencing...nice one buddy... :)

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  4. All of us have seen such evening. The article revives our memories. The message in the story is very sublime and puts us on philosophical mood. Nice article. But still there is scope for being shorter and better. In this age of overflowing information, people like to move on fast.

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  5. One question...is this really a blog of fact or fiction...somehowI I believe its the latter...(no intentions of pulling u down..just expressing my thoughts)

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    Replies
    1. yup you are right..its purely a work of fiction

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  6. As you grow up slowly all these will not be there or become Unnoticed.

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  7. Seems a pure work of imagination..yet beautifully written! :)
    If u wish u can check my blog too!

    http://stillsiddharth.blogspot.in/

    Keep writing! :)

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  8. hey even it a work of fiction but it's the real life which many of our country men live and even after 64 years of independence little have change for them.. the last para of your article shows that now they can live a much better life waiting for the day when really a change can come to those millions of slum dwellers..!!!

    ReplyDelete