The constant stare.. What did it mean?

Dear Mals,

the article was very very touchingggggggggg. Keep writng such nice articles, so that we can take a "Pause" before throwing tantrums.....


Luv


Shashu

Dear Shashu,

I think this is our first interaction and I loved your comment. Keep stepping in all my posts... Where in Maharashtra are you from???

Hi,
Its really good to encourage such people who work hard instead of begging. Me & my hubby too show concern & apprecaitation towards such people by buyng things from them even if they are of no use to us. I sometimes hesitate but my hubby always makes it a point to help them.
It once happened that it was raining heavily and we were struck up in a place. That palce was near to my office and my husband came to pick me up. There were several others too, who were waiting for the rain to descend. We were both chatting some thing , looking at the peopel there, where the count kept on increasing. we saw a small boy who may be 8 years old, going to each and everyone to sell his chekkis ( sweet made of groundnuts & jaggery). Very few of them took notice of
the boy. Nobody cared to buy even a single packet. And the boy came to us finally with last 3 packets. He requested us to buy atleast a single pieceMy hubby asked for the price and the boy replied that a singel packet costs Rs10. Those pieces were made with the most degraded quality & does not cost hardly more than Rs 3 or 5. My hubby was in his most good spirit that day and he gave the Rs 100 and asked him to get the change. when he offered those pieces, we rejected them & asked
him to sell themoff to somebody else. He immediately realized that we are showering some cahrity on him & rightaway dejected our offer. It took time some time for us to convince him that it is ok with us that way. We were both stunned for the boy's self respect even in such a situation where he is in desperate need of money. He vanished for few minutes & came back with the remaining charge. We both smiled to each other when he uttered a "thank you" with a shy smile. My hubby posed some more
questions before letting that boy go. In the meanwhile we could sense some awkward glance at us, probably i guess people were wondering what were we doing with that boy for such a long time.
I know that i am not able to express exactly the way we felt that evening, but that episode remained a special one for both of us & that boy's inncoent as well as confident face still lingers in our hearts. My hubby is kind of obsessed with that boy and even tries to seach for that boy whenever we com across boys of that age group on the roads.

Sravanthi

Hi Sarwanthi,

Yes its the self respect that they have in them which is admirable and remembering that they are not begging but working hard to earn a penny.

Thanks for the post.

Dear Malspie sweetypie,

You have a way of looking at things and writing about them. I have not the remotest inkling about traveling in trains in Mumbai ...I almost feel familiar with it now, thanks to your essays!! Enjoyed this one...yes, I too was anxious lest you climb off the train without rewarding the smile in the girl's face...But you are a pie...how could I forget that.....!:)

L, Kamla

Dear Kamla (my personal beautypie!!),

Whatever you do with no rewards in the back of your mind, always pays in life. This post was one of them.

Thanks Kamla, I read all the praises very carefully as they are the foundations of a better post next time.. I will try my best again.

Dear Mals
another one of your great threads. so very interesting. and you put it acroos so nicely. glad you did buy something. that added a glorious touch to this cute writeup.

Hi AC,

Howz you buddy? Just recouping from illness. (Viral fever down for the last 15 days). Waiting to fly and touch the sky. Thanks for appreciating my post. Bye..

Hey mals

This was really touching, its always great to give or reward someone for their skills or if you see someone trying to make money by working towards it... I have travelled in the delhi buses a lot and there are people who sing songs or Bhajans and me for one being a music fan, can make out who is singing from his heart and stomach... so i always used to make sure to give them something just as a toekn of appreciation...

however here in US you will see guys wearing a nice jeans and t-shirt and great shoes and still standing with a placard "homeless, hungry pls help me with 1 $" or in fact , while in a mall or a food court, somone very well dressed will come up and ask you for a Dollar and we are left wondering, what in world is this guy asking the money for...

Seeing this and a lot in life i have decided never to argue with a rickshaw puller or an auto wala, or a guy who fixes your flat tyre on the road about his labor charges... cos seriously yaar in India those guys sweat it out like hell and still get paid peanuts... i really feel for them...

~Abha

Hi Abha,

Happy anniversary once again. Laborers sweat it out and we need to pay their dues. Thanks for stepping in buddy.