The Hidden Truth
Overtaking, honking and slowing down, our car zooms through the traffic. The view is amazing. Auto-rickshaws, cars and large trucks crowd the streets. Buildings stand strong with people walking in and out of them. The uneven road rocks my body like a baby in a crib. As my eyes slowly droop down, I see a long stretch of people selling pots, toys and utensils. My eyes open up. The vendors look as if they are slightly covered in soot. One man was sitting in a tent and relaxing while a lady came with water to serve them. There were some men and women sitting in front of their goods. Only a few people stopped by to purchase these items. The unimaginable was behind them. Huts made of straw, plastic covers and taken down advertisements had filled up the entire strip. Kids were running barefooted or with broken slippers around the huts. The line of poverty ended with a towering restaurant.
The car went through Gurgaon and its outskirt cities. Viewing all the stretches of poverty became more and more apparent as we exited the city. Eventually, we reached the villages. Plagued with trash on the edge of the narrow roads, the farming village had brought a different sense of poverty. As I gathered data from farmers, many brought up the topic of finance. Most farmers were unable to afford modern equipment. The majority of them lived in sweltering clay houses with an inconsistent electrical supply. The smell of sewage was strong in some areas. Farmers had to side jobs in order to help pay for utilities and food. There was no guarantee that a good season would happen this year, so a backup plan was necessary for them.
“Poverty is like punishment for a crime you didn’t commit.” — Eli Khamarov
As beautiful of a city Delhi and Gurgaon are, there is a grim reality. In my previous blog post, I talked about the amazing places I visited and the beauty behind where I am. However, at each of these places, I see people struggling to make a living. The topic of poverty is very important to me and the people around me. In a city of over 19 million, there is a large population of people living under poverty. The term poverty ranges from those who are starving to those deprived of necessary resources. A lot of the poor work hard to earn money and there is also a population that need to beg for money due to age and disabilities. Having the lack of money leads to a lot of problems for the poor and everyone else surrounding them. Petty crimes like pick pocketing to major crimes like drug trafficking are the last resort for them. The lack of education comes with poverty. This is the main reason why crime levels are regarded with the poor. When I see a mother crying because she is not able to feed her child or a disabled man, unable to walk around, it really hits the heart. The most I can do in the situation would be giving them money even though it is a temporary solution. There is a sad truth behind every place I go.
