Poverty - What do we mean by poverty ? As I ponder the topic of poverty, my mind is drawn to numerous times where I’ve been confronted by it.

I am a private person and generally do not want to share anything beyond a certain point. But today I am going to tell you something more about me which would not have surfaced had it been any other day.

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Now whoever is regular on my blog knows that I go for morning walks. These brisk walks serve two purposes. One, it keeps me fit & in shape. Two, they take me close to life.
Early morning’s unpolluted cool fresh air, chirping of birds and ringing of temple bells play an important part to start my day.
Daily routine starts early in this city and I see many facets of life as I pass by them… From school going children to people selling fresh vegetables/ flowers, morning tea on a makeshift stall, sweeping streets, washing cars and so on.

One day near an under construction building, a naked boy of around three years of age came running and suddenly stopped looking at me. Now, I am good at spreading the infectious smile. After a bit of hesitation, he too smiled back and ran inside to his mother.
His mother was cooking something at a distance. I generally don’t interfere in anybody’s private affair but that boy had a magnetic effect on me. I went to her and hesitantly enquired about them. She was equally afraid as she mistook me for a policewoman who had come to drive her away. Believe me, I don’t look so.

They are migrants; have come here to earn the bare minimum to survive by doing laborious work. They work, cook, eat, bathe and sleep in a corner of that incomplete building. She also has a brother who lives in some other part of Mumbai and sleeps on the road divider by paying Rs 5/- per day. Yes, that’s the cheapest rate for five hours of sleep on a hard concrete one foot wide divider.
I ‘know’ this family for the last 4 months, have tried to help them in my own little way. Initially I was wary to even ask her. First time when I took some old clothes for them, the woman had started crying. She wears sarees and I didn’t have any to give her. I asked my mom and aunt to spare some. And slowly a bond was built.

In these four months I have bought some clothes, toys and picture books for that boy, have given some utensils and other such things to them. Even an old umbrella became a prized possession for them. I have promised when he starts going to school, I’ll pay for his school fees. She was reluctant to send him to school but I have made her agree somehow. I hope they are still here or nearby when the time comes. Sometimes they behave in a strange manner that we don’t want to accept. Remember the beggar I met once ? His thoughts still haunt me.

What else I do or have done ? Well, some other time.. .. There are many small stories to narrate.

There are thousands of them like this family.
They are all struck by poverty and trying to survive against the odds. I am not here to write an essay on it but to tell you what I mean by poverty. For me poverty is not only a simple issue but a complex one.

Changing from place to place poverty has many faces. It is a situation people want to escape. Poverty is hunger and lack of shelter. Poverty is being sick and not being able to afford the fees of a doctor. It is for a mother not being able to give a drop of milk to her child. Poverty is illiteracy. Poverty is fear for the future, living one day at a time. Poverty is powerlessness or to put it bluntly, impotence.

Do you see anything strange in this photo ? Tell me that.

I have been participating in Blog Action Day (You must have noticed the badge displayed for last few days on my right sidebar). Last year I had written on the topic Environment and in addition to mine, a lot of suggestions had come from you readers on how to save our environment.

This year also I seek your views on what you are doing or what can be done to eradicate reduce poverty. It’s easy to think that there isn’t much an individual can do. But that’s not true. There are in fact many ways that we can act. I will give you an example.
Those of you who are movie freaks, have to agree that one visit to a theater costs us on an average around Rs 500/- per person (including conveyance, snacks & beverages). One movie per week is quite a sum. Now, can you skip one movie in six months time ? i.e. instead of around 24 movies, can you be satisfied with a movie less ? That saves you Rs 500/- which will mean a lot to a poor family. Definitely not enough but this extra money can brighten their faces. And similar such small gestures.

Well, it all depends on your attitude.

P.S.- This post is part of Blog Action Day 08 - Poverty and today you’ll see many posts on the same. You can also participate in it by registering at the site. On October 15th every year, the bloggers all over the world publish posts that discuss the issue in some way. By all posting on the same day we aim to change the conversation that day, to raise awareness, start a global discussion and add momentum to an important cause.

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