On a lazy Saturday morning, I was travelling by the local trains on my way to tuitions, fervently studying last minute for an Economics test ( thank you procrastination). As the train halted at a station, I just lifted my head off my textbook for a moment. A beggar girl got in, carrying an infant in her lap. Dressed in rags and barefoot, she was trying to pacify the crying baby. Her face, though specked with grime and dirt, held a peculiar smile. She stretched her hand out to feel the raindrops on her palms, occasionally spraying the water on the baby's face. He stopped crying and giggled along with her. She then went on with her usual business, begging for rupee or two from the passengers who flatly refused. But she was different from other beggars I've seen, and trust me, living in Mumbai, I've seen many. As she clinked the few coins in her shapeless bowl, she didn't cry or plead. Her smile didn't fade. I didn't give her money, but gave her a half empty packet of biscuits instead. Her face lit up like the sky on Diwali. She thanked me twice, and got down at the next station, dancing and giggling as she walked.
I closed my textbook. I couldn't study anymore.
