A LIFE ON THE PLATFORM

Hi friends,

Mostly I see them during my morning walk. They are husband and wife. The man is around 60 and the woman a few years younger. They live on the platform. I presume someone must be helping them with a night's stay and other rituals. They look pathetic and lifeless.

The woman was cooking food. In the two Ovens made of 3 bricks, she was cooking sambar and rice. She was using tree branches picked up on the road as firewood. The old man was sitting under a shade smoking beedi to forget his hunger. The woman was chewing tobacco to forget the suffering. 

After packing the food, both of them commenced their journey in search of a job. He carried a long crowbar over his shoulders and she took the meals carrier made of a big brass vessel with a semicircular handle sufficient for both. Inside the vessel, the sambar and rice were mixed together with some pickles served as lunch.

From there, they went to a junction in the middle of the bazaar where a confluence of workers, young and old regularly assembled daily to be called for the construction and other related jobs. Prospective "bosses" and brokers arrived in the car or two-wheeler to hire the workers.

There was a beehive of activity. Preference was given to the young and able-bodied. Old people were not considered until late in the morning. Their remuneration was also less when compared to others. I saw the old man and woman begging various people to get hold of a job for living tomorrow.

If they fail to get work, their life on the next day will be doomed. They do not have anyone to take care of. Unlike others, they do not have VRS, retirement benefits, pensions, bonuses, gratuity, etc. They have no place to stay and they live under the sun all through the day. Oh God, have mercy on them.