The old man and the little girl.

Park Circus market was one of the famous market place of Calcutta. You can get anything from a needle to furniture for your home. It may sound a bit awkward nowadays, but for us, it wasn't less than any Mall with seperate sections for every need of yours. It had a separate vegetable section, meat section,fish bazar,poultry section, utensils section, clothes section, bangles section, Needles and threads section, Stationary section, furniture bazar and, flower market and even a oil ghani. This market was in circular shape so everything was fit into a fine order. Outside the market along the footpaths were the sweet shops, pan shops, slipper shops, bakery, tea shops, fruits shop, books shops etc. And in the midst of all these was the old blind man sitting begging alms.He was always accompanied by a small girl of four to six years and also a dog. It is said by the market owners that, he got this girl from a garbage trash in a almost dying situation. He picked her up took her to the hospital and saved her. From that day onwards he is taking care of her as his own child. 

From my balcony I used to watch them. The old man had a routine too. Though he was a beggar he kept himself and the girl very tidy. Early morning he will take his bath from common corporation pipe on the roadside, and will give a bath to the little girl too, making her tidy. The dog will follow him wherever he goes and will howl on all dangers of traffic and people. He always used to sit in front of the entrance gate and the ones who enter inside the market and the ones who exit used to give him some money or eatabels. The eatabels were enough for him and the child, and moreover the sweet shops too used to feed him in the afternoon with their leftovers. 

One thing I noticed was that,he always carried a big bag, which he never used to part with on any condition, it will always be hanging on his either shoulders. He though blind used to protect the girl in all possible ways from climatic conditions and also from crooked people. Days passed by and the girl was growing up into a teen and the man becoming more older. Seeing her grow into teens, I was wondering how would the girl be safe  amidst this market place and also with all the wild activities of the night. I used to be in pain seeing them and helpless too, since, I didn't have the courage to ask my parents to keep her at our home, because every middle class family of that era, would

be in, just bread to mouth situation,so, giving help to another soul wasn't that easy. But as said "every cloud has a silver lining," I saw, one day, a van approaching that old man. 

It was a van from the Orphanage run by Mother Teresa and they had come to take that child away to their orphanage. Taking the child away from the old man wasn't an easy task. No matter what, the child will not let go the old man. It was a pathetic scene, the child howling her breath, and the old man begging the van to go back. The van went back with a promise to come back again the next day. In the meantime we all decided to make the old man understand. The major part of the discussion was done by our maid who too used to feel the pain of a destitute. She too was working for an earning to keep her large family away from begging. So she made the blind old man understand the graveneous of the situation of a girl being on road without any protection. The old man agreed and made the child too understand the same.

 Next day the van arrived, the attendents approached the old blind man to let go the child. He moved towards the van with his bag hanging on his left shoulder and clutching the girl's hand.Just as the girl was getting inside the van he stopped her. He removed his bag from his shoulder. For the first time I saw him opening his precious bag. He took out a beautiful Zari Saree in red clour and a pouch full of money. He handed over the saree and the pouch to the girl saying that he had kept it for her marriage, since, she is leaving him it's a parting gift from him. May she be blessed and live a worthy life.

Tears welled up the little girls eyes and also the onlookers.

Who would think a beggar to act or to have something precious as such? and also to part with it.?(Do remember the era). He truly played the role of a father though he wasn't her own. The van took the girl away leaving behind the blind man and the dog. My routine of watching the market place from my balcony continued and I saw the old man now taking care of his dog 🐕.

(Pic courtesy Google images)