Beggars of Circumstance

-RAHUL SHRIVASTAWA 

 While everything possible is being done to ensure that the city looks better and its lifeless structures last longer, no one seems to be bothered about the ebbing of the desire to live, just a stone's throw away from the VIP locality of the town. The story of the life of this old woman, who lives at a corner of the Civil Lines, reads like a novel.

Kusumkali is 80 years of age and hails from Kabrai in the district. She belongs to the Vishwakarma (ironsmith) caste, categorised as an OBC. She migrated to Banda from Karbai about 15 years back. 

It is not that Kusumkali is alone in the world. She has many nephews but they care two hoots for their blood relations with her and are completely oblivious to her travails.

Initially, she tried living with his brother Kishori. But once the brother got married his wife did not rest till she had driven Kusumkali out of the home by making her life hell. For ten years, she begged on running trains to survive. After she became too old and infirm to board trains and get down from them, she shifted to Banda, where she made a living by cleaning utensils in middle-class homes for Rs 100-150 per month.  She was known as Kusumkali Bai in Indira Nagar, Forest department colony and Bijli Kheda localities of the city. Ashish Sagar says that she had worked at his house for a couple of years. Whenever there was any marriage in the locality, Ksusumkali's life became a bit better for a few days. She got the left-overs of the food consumed by the 'baraatis' and sometimes, a cheap sari too as gift. But soon, she grew too weak to do even this work. Failing eyesight and old age meant that one by one, she lost her work in all the houses. Recently, she went to Karbai. But who was there to welcome her in her own home? The nephews drove her out of the house. A few days back, I saw her re-building her damaged hut. I ventured to talk to her. She poured out her pain and anguish. “Bitwa, I have no one in this world. All are dead. No one gives me anything to eat”. 

Her condition makes one ponder as to for what and whom is the destitute and old-age pension meant for. And this is the question staring at all those elderly men and women, who have been discarded by their families. They do not want to leave their near and dear ones but the changing circumstances have turned them into beggars. And the circumstances are created by those very family members for whom they have devoted their entire lives.

Rahul Shriwastava is the Jhansi (UP)-based correspondent of FORWARD Press

Forward Press.
                                                          (Published in  Forward Press,  May, 2013 Issue)