1.

The road to a safer future

“Hey, what are you doing here?” I spoke, my breaths visible in the mist surrounding me.

“Nothing! You go away!” he shrieked.

He had a few broken pieces of the chalice we used during Christmas and was constantly gazing his
hand. He took me by the hand, literally pushed me out of the room. Then the door closed. I was
standing still for a few minutes. The only sound was of the ticking of the clock. But it was not for
long, just a minute after, I heard a loud scream from inside the room. A scream that scared the hell out
of me. A deadly silence followed and I collapsed in fear.

The next I can recall is my mother acting hysterical seeing my brother’s body drowned in blood. I was
too young to understand that. I was 4. I didn’t see my father once in my life. I was told he died when
my mother was 4 months pregnant. I didn’t know how it feels to eradicate people from your life who
you encounter daily. I was taken away from the scene and never told why he died. I used to ask my
mother what happened but never told what I saw that night.

This was my first encounter with life. It left me flabbergasted. I wanted to know things that led my
brother to commit that sin. I used to read suicide notes of people when I was 8. I wanted to know
about each and every wire in the brain that compelled my brother and those people to forget about
their life, their family and take a decision in a split second which potentially, split apart lives of many.

I am still struggling with that thought and trying to find an answer. But this is not the only incident
that has left me contemplating, confused and terrified. There have been things happening around me,
my society, my country India and the world that has led me to the incessant path which has its dead
end on the same question. Are we creating a safer future?

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The next thing that left me puzzled, happened when I was 8, lonely but free around the backwaters of
the Ganges, the largest river in India. It was the time when my mother was very possessive about me.
Or I should say she was scared to lose me as well. We were in Kolkata, a famous city in the eastern
periphery of India. I was fond of rivers from childhood so my mother took me to the famous Princep
ghats, the porch built in the memory of James Princep, a famous British scholar.

While my mother was busy doing something, I ran towards the corner of the ghat. I was busy playing
with water when I saw a boy, probably of the same age as mine carrying approximately a 10 kg bag of
garbage to throw in the river. I suddenly stood in his way.

“Hey! Get aside. Don’t you see I have a heavy bag on my shoulders?” he shrugged.

I was standing confused thinking about his shabby appearance. Clothes torn apart which revealed his
malnourished body, cuts on his hands and legs indicated he was in pain. I couldn’t resist myself.

“You don’t have clothes to wear? What are you doing with this large not-so-good-smelling thing?”
He put the bag on the ground.

“Yes. This is the only piece of thing I got to wear. I am a rag picker. I have to throw this garbage in
the river.”
I was bewildered. Ragpicker? What’s that? Is it a special privilege to people? Am I also a rag picker?

I was muddled but curious.

“Am I a rig picker as well?” I asked.

He took my hand, had a long look at it as if he was searching for a specific spot but didn’t find
anything.

“You are not a rag picker. You don’t have the mark. See this.” He showed me his hand which had a
small circle on the elbow. I tried to rub it but failed. He took his bag and left. But I was there, standing
still, the cool breeze from the river striking my face.

It seemed like I was lost in a pandemonium. I went back to my mother. Pointing finger at the boy, I
asked her why I am not like him. She kissed my forehead and told that I am special. I was happy
momentarily but that black circle circumscribed my head. And then another thought struck me. I was
told that river, mountains, trees and the other elements of nature are holy. They should be worshipped.
Then why were people throwing garbage in the most pious river of the nation? What would be its
condition in future?

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Time flew. I was engrossed in studies as it was told to be the only way to get enlightened. I was
completely away from people. I barely had friends in school or locality. Nobody visited us as
everyone was “busy texting each other!” And as the time passed, I kept myself away those perplexing
thoughts. But 10 years later, it came back all at once. Another encounter, another realisation and
another question.

I was driving when it happened. I stopped at the traffic light, something not very common here in
India, and a voice approached me asking for money. We have a lot of beggars around the traffic
signals in India. His voice seemed like a man but he was dressed like a woman. It took me a few
seconds to realize that he was transgender.

“Don’t you know, you need to work to earn money? Why don’t you work somewhere, you look
completely fit? ”

He said just one sentence.

“If you are an owner of a company and I apply for a job, would you hire me knowing that I am a
transgender?”

And my mind collapsed. It was flooded with questions when the light turned green. I gave him some
money and went away, ran away rather.

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And here I am now, contemplating while writing this. If God really created the world and left it on us
thinking we are the smartest specie on earth, would he feel happy to see its condition right now? Look
around, you’ll find almost everywhere a reason to say that we’ve let him down. We have completely
destroyed nature in our pursuit to “comfort”, we have been decimating for other species. Floods,
Earthquakes, Droughts are signs that life is deteriorating on the planet. Even if you neglect others,
spare a thought for yourself. Are you happy having all these luxuries? Almost half of the enormous
population is suffering from depression. People are committing suicide for no reason at all. The
infamous Blue Whale game is an example. People are terrified; hatred has spread its arm more than
love. Look at Syria, people prefer dying more than living there. The pursuit of arms has taken a toll on
world leaders. It is an exigency to understand that strengthening life is more important than
strengthening arms.

The good thing is, we are aware. It’s not like those slow to death unknown disease which cannot be
cured. We need to secure the future of posterity. We need to grow our kids as assets not as wandering
rag pickers. We ought to take care of our nature. It’s better for everyone to get this straight into their
head that we don’t govern the nature, it governs us. A healthy environment is not a choice, it’s a
necessity.

And we need to be good to all the people in the world, all the species irrespective of their appearance,
choices, and desires as long as it doesn’t hinder our or the world’s growth. This can break the
deadlock of that incessant path. That incessant path where my mind wanders these days. I want to
walk on this road to a safer future. Would you come along me?

Word Count : 1330 words