Did You Ever Love Me? by Rithvik Singh is a tender contemporary poetry collection about love, heartbreak, longing, self worth and learning to let go. Its greatest strength is emotional accessibility: Singh writes directly to readers who feel intensely and care deeply. The collection offers comfort without pretending heartbreak is simple, though its simplicity may occasionally feel familiar to seasoned poetry readers. Did you Ever Love Me? Have you ever loved someone so completely that, after they left, you were left wondering whether they had ever understood what they had been given? Not merely whether they loved you, but whether they ever noticed how much you loved them, how much patience you offered, how many small things you remembered, or how often you chose to stay when leaving might have been easier. There is a particular loneliness in that question because it rarely arrives at a dramatic moment. More often, it finds you while you are doing something completely ordinary. Yo...
A very old topic. One part of India is rich and one part poor. Happens all the time. You might be expecting me to say that real India is still in villages.
But no, I don't wish to highlight the plight of poor helpless people of India. My objective today is to write about the plight of urban people of India. Comfortable incomes, cozy homes. How they have completely forgotten their countrymen in the villages. People are dying of hunger and thirst in so many regions of India and the people who are better advantaged simply don't care.
One fact: India ranks amongst highest in countries where children die of hunger and malnutrition.
It's appalling. The urban kids of today, know it all. From the latest soundtrack of an international band to latest gizmo models. They know it all. Then how come they are so unaware when it comes to the reality that a lot many children of their own age group are dying of hunger. And that many could not even turn teenagers for they died of malnutrition.
Another Fact -
In Feb 2010, the house of Principal secretary, Department of women and child development, Madhya Pradesh was raided by sleuths. Approx 4 crores were found in cash.
In rural Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Bihar and other states a lot many children just don't survive because there is no food.
So I asked 3 of my very urban friends on how they felt about children dying of hunger in India
Blogger Shreya Aggarwal remarked - "Google Kar le " ( Google it)
Blogger Tamanna Kakkar said and I quote -
"patta nahin
i eman i read in 6th standard moral science book
ki na
koi bhi hunger sey nahin marrta hotta
there was this thing about birds
ki they have faith ki unko banaya hai
toh unkey liyye
khana bhi bana hai
kahin na kahin
patta nai
i want
ki aisa hi ho He who created us also created food for us"
People are dying for lack of food. But on paper crores and crores of money is earmarked and also supposedly to feed these children. Where do those thousands of crores go? The government has so many schemes and plans in Delhi. Then why are their dead bodies of malnourished kids in rural parts of Central India?
Adithya, a friend of mine who is an amazing writer and a budding philosopher in the making remarked:
"Firstly, the society has no obligation whatsoever, unless it is willful participation, which may sound cruel, but you'll be amazed at the human sympathy-triggering ratio.
People who are willing can donate/help whoever they want, out of choice. Poverty is not the suction of the riches form the poor, it is the ignorance, or the incapability of the poor to ever dream."
So, is there nothing that the Urban India do? I was in Delhi in April and what a city New Delhi has become. All the shine and polish. It is in the capital that such decisions have to be taken. But if the implementation is not happening, money is their then why does not any body do anything? Because perhaps for urban India youth, that would be not cool enough?
or because the urban youth is becoming so shallow and devoid of sentiment that they cannot visualize the plight of those children craving for food. For one roti. Who have not perhaps tasted any vegetable in their lives? How they have to battle every day, with barely any food and want of stomach. Bhook.com tells us that about 20 crore people shall sleep hungry tonight. I think the figure should be higher.
I don't know whom to be against here. The urban people, carefree and unsentimental or to those bureaucrats and politicians, guzzling in money meant for food for those poor children.
I can only conclude by saying that we are very barbaric people. Letting someone die of hunger to fulfill our own greed or letting people die and closing our eyes. It is a very high degree of callousness.
Very high degree.
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