The New Family Members

         The six months' old baby was lying on its side, covered by a thin towel.  It was shivering in the cold.  Its mother was trying hard to light up a ‘chulha’ with some coal and twigs.  Due to the weather, the ‘chulha’ refused to light up, as the coal and twigs were damp and couldn’t catch fire.  She felt helpless and frustrated thinking about how she was going to feed that baby.  With great trouble, she’d managed to beg for and get some milk from that lecherous milk-man in the dairy nearby.  She knew what fate awaited her that night!

        
         She was a homeless person.  One among many of those who made footpaths their home and lived like nomads!  On one street one day and on the other, the next day!  She had made this space in front of the Ganapati temple her home, since a month.  She begged for alms and people offered her money and food on the days that were auspicious to the Lord, like Ekadashi, Chaturthi, etc.  On the other days, she went and sat in front of other temples.  Hence on a rotation basis, she never went hungry as those days, those deities’ worship gained prominence!

        
         One could ask why she didn’t work for a living.  She had tried her hand at various jobs, but had always been harassed and pestered by her employers.  Hence she had taken the easiest way out to mitigate her miserable plight.  Besides, who would look after her darling son when she went to work?

        

The copyright of this story is with Mrs. Priya Ramesh Swaminathan.