We all are sinners, forgive us

Each time I see this video, I get into depression. I want to go and meet this man to apologise. It is because of people like me that he has to do this. Why should he pay for my sin?

In a world of digital India, Bullet Trains, Smart Cities — made for a select few — we conveniently forget the real India. The more we turn ourselves away from this reality, the more it will come back to haunt us. We have forgotten to include the underprivileged in our agenda of development.

We have taken away land from them making them landless. We made dams on their ancestral land forcing them to migrate to cities to become construction laborers. We need dam water to wash our cars and moisten our verandahs. We need them to work cheaply at our apartments and construction sites. But we don’t want to address their real problems.

See this 12 year old girl weeping inconsolably and imagine it is your daughter or sister. If your heart is not weeping if your eyes are not wet, then perhaps you are not a human being.

Remember, we are going to pay for all the sins we are making today. Look at it closely because sin is too stupid to see beyond itself. For those who understand Hindi, this painful poem, penned by a good friend is apt.

“ माँझी से माँझी तक “

चार की क्या ज़रूरत, एक कंधा हीं काफ़ी है।
शव को ढोने केलिए, एक बन्दा ही काफ़ी है ।।
सम्वेदनहीन समाज, अब अंधा भी हो गया है ।
मेरा भाई दलित, अब गंदा भी हो गया है ।।

पत्नी प्रेम में पर्वत तोड़ा, वो भी एक माँझी था ।
पत्नी मोह में शव को ढोया,ये भी एक माँझी है।।
दशरथ से लेकर दाना तक, कुछ नहीं बदला है ।
सरकारें बदलती रही,प्रशासन अब भी ढीला है।।

यह देश हमारा, किस ओर चला ।
गांधी के सपनों को, तोड़ चला ।।
रस्ते में उसे क्या, कोई ना मिला ।
काँधे पे ढोए, जब दस कोश चला ।।

यह देख हर कोई रोया होगा ।
मन ही मन में कुछ खोया होगा ।।
जो दृश्य हमने देखा है ।
मन कहता है ये धोखा है ।।

मानवता ताड़ — ताड़ हुई ।
माँझी की बेटी शर्मसार हुई ।।
ख़ुशनसीब थी उसकी माँ ।
जो छोड़ के संसार गई ।।
 — अम्बरीष चौधरी