“Maybe you will find me here every evening from now on, sitting with my begging bowl. I am an old woman; I lost everything in life except my younger son. But tell me one thing, do I seem like a beggar to you?
You say you stay in Bengaluru. Nice city. So neat and clean, and the weather is perfect. I remember visiting the city long back, in my good times. Those cherished memories now feel like another life.
My husband was an accountant at a business firm. Two cerebral strokes, one followed shortly by the other, claimed his life at the prime of age. Shocking as it was for me, little did I know how disastrous the rest of life was going to be.
I was once a proud mother of two amazing sons. Today, I am coming here straight from the hospital, where my sole surviving son is battling severe pneumonia.
Soon after my husband’s death, my brother-in-law duped me of my husband’s entire life savings. Since I did not understand the paperwork much, he promised to take care of everything My elder son passed away in an accident a few years ago. It is just my younger son and me after that. Even as a helpless mother, I tried to protect him with all my might. He grew up to be a wonderful young man, around 22 years old now. He got himself enrolled in skill development training and secured a decent job. Things were looking upward again in life for the two of us.
Last month, he asked my permission to visit Sikkim with his school friends. I was reluctant at first. I have never let him travel far alone. And for me, the snowy mountains of Sikkim were risk-prone areas. He insisted, and I finally gave in.
Much later, while he was coughing up blood in the hospital, I got to know that in the spirit of adventure, he never wore sweaters or jackets, even in that freezing cold. He had returned from his trip with a persistent cough, that worsened over time. He was diagnosed with severe pneumonia. Due to late intervention, the phlegm and pus had accumulated in his lungs, which might have led to his death soon. I got him admitted to the local government hospital. For two weeks, I would only see him with oxygen masks, high-dose medicines and needles pricked to his hands. My boy has become so thin and weak. All my savings ran out on his treatment. I cannot even afford some healthy food for him now.
So, I come to the metro station every day post the visiting hours at the hospital. I sit at the base of the stairs and wait for busy men and women to drop a coin or two into my bowl.
Many people have offered to help me. They took my photo and promised me help. But I heard back from none. I do not know what the future has in store for me. I have lost everything once. I do not want to lose it all again.”
Efforts For Good talked with the old lady who sits every evening in front of the right exit gate at Kavi Nazrul metro station (Lokenath temple side) in Garia, Kolkata. We are urging local volunteers and NGOs to come forward and provide financial and social support to this amazing woman, who desperately needs our help now.