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| "Colorful Bangles" |
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| "Not so Colorful Life |
My Sudden trip to India this time is giving me all kinds of experiences, some jerky, some sad and some sweet. Here is one of my sad experiences I encountered during my visit to my Ammamma's (Grandmother) village. Life in India has stark contrasts. Just when we boast of a developing nation, life below the poverty line mocks back at us. This Bangle seller who walks bare foot with his stacks of bangles all through the dusty villages around my village is one such glaring example of the growing difference between the Haves and Havenots. You might ask, did you visit India for the first time? No, but every time I visit I notice that people in small towns and big cities spend lavishly, and I hear that Living Standards are much better in India now. But then nothing has changed with people like this Bangle Seller. His daily wages are meagre, about the price of a "Latte" or even lesser than that at a StarBucks or Coffee Day. But he says he is happy with his profession since he considers it auspicious. The simpleton wishes for a bus service that would make his life more easy. The little conversation that I had with him suddenly made me feel so petty. It was sad to hear his story but at the same time stoic. I learnt that contentment is something that needs constant reminding. Most of us might remember Indian nightingale Sarojini Naidu's " Bangle Sellers". Here is a stanza from the poem
Who will buy these delicate, bright
Rainbow-tinted circles of light?
Lustrous tokens of radiant lives,
For happy daughters and happy wives.
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