The quest for sour idlies

Today, 23 April 2009, the ruling party of Tamilnadu had called for a strike till 6 pm. Strike or no strike, the day dawned as usual. I had a busy schedule at my office. So I woke up at 6.30 am, half an hour earlier than usual. I felt bit hungry as I woke up. I got ready and just when I was about to start from my room, my room mate warned me, "Today is strike. We are going to struggle for food". I told him that small hotels will be opened, so he need not worry.

My office is just 2km away from my room. I usually walk the distance so that I need not wake up early in the morning for jogging. I used to have breakfast in a small mess on the way. Today I went to the mess and found that the mess was closed. Other hotels nearby were also closed. Thats when I remembered what my room mate told. I had no one to blame. Without scolding anyone, I started walking. Then I decided to save my energy and started looking for share auto. All the share auto drivers had a very good time today; packed autos as no bus on the road. No one showed interest when I waved my hand at all passing autos. I finally crossed the distance by walk. I entered my office covered in sweat, tired with hunger and a load of work to complete.

As I entered, I was greeted by my office attender. Suddenly a spark, I asked him whether he can buy breakfast for me from somewhere. He was very happy to help me and asked whether I want idly, poori, pongal or dosa. I was happy to hear the menu but told him to buy whatever that was available. He returned back half an hour later with a parcel of 6 idlies. He told me that he went from this end to other end, visited so many hotels and finally got them from a shop after standing in queue for 10 minutes (It was like a prince crossing 7 hills and 7 oceans to rescue the princess).

I opened the parcel eagerly and started eating. The idly was so sour that normally I wont eat. As sour as a 2 day old curd. But hunger does not know taste, a common saying here. When I finished my breakfast and started my work, I thought, the strike is indeed a great success.

Mobile Singers

Every day when I travel from my office to my home, I see a truck with blind people singing old tamil songs. The truck, usually parked in a vacant space near the railway station, has 5 to 6 performers who sing for hours together. You can also find 4 people standing about 50 metres away from the truck in different directions, collecting money from the people passing that area.

Every day when I pass that area, I used to donate whatever coins I have. Sometimes when there is no one to collece money in the pathway where I walk, I used to cross the road and reach out to one of them and donate. The singers, the collectors, the musicians are all blind. I wonder, what they will make at the end of the day. Most people donate coins; how many people donate? I don't know. Unlike people who knock every house for donations for so many reasons, these people have an operating cost. The rent for the truck, fuel for the truck and power generator and food for atleast 10 people, it could cross over thousand rupees easily. Since I am seeing them everyday, I assume that they are collecting money more than the operating cost. But how much more? Few hundreds for whole day? I don't know.

All I could do for them now is donate whatever money I can and donate my eyes after my life. Whoever read this post, please donate them with whatever you can. They are brave, determined and self confident people.