Out of many of my childhood memories, the one which I reminisce is the regular visit to Hanuman temple with my mother every Tuesday. More than the devotion, it had become a habit for me.
Early morning the sun shines at the raised spire (Shikhara) of the temple, which features the symbol of the sun and gradually illuminates the stairs and temple’s entrance. The temple flag (orange colored) waves with the rhythm of the wind. The ambiance was mesmerizing with peace and spirituality.
However, there was something unpleasant which would disturb this tranquility. I would be horrified to see people would donate money to the stone idol of God but won’t feed hungry children begging in front of the temple. It was difficult for me to imagine that these kids, who were of my age, had to beg to sustain themselves and people would turn a deaf ear towards them. They should be instead of going to school, availing the right to education, smiling and playing with their friend and thus enjoying their childhood. It is not an unknown fact that less than half of India’s children between the age of 6 and 14 go to school.
The thought still bothers me, and so I decided to take opinions from others by asking the question on social media, “How India can improve the standard of living of underprivileged population?” I got various responses that mainly echoed on better and economic education infrastructure, outreaching to the rural population, awareness programs and schemes for population control.
One of the other solutions is India can better utilize taxpayer’s money, and we as a citizen should responsibly choose our government. There is a common saying that it is quite easy to put forward an opinion, but hard to implement.
So, the real question is how many of us have done something about it. It is a problem for the whole nation, but I think if we as individual contribute some efforts for the society and play our part then the problem can be mitigated to some extent.
Regarding this, I have decided to do something rather than criticizing the government. I have pledged that I will donate for one child’s education on my Nana’s anniversary. It’s my way of giving back something to the society where I was brought up. There are several ways in which an individual can volunteer towards the community. It doesn’t have to be monetary; contribution like donating unused clothes during cloth drives or unused household items can help a lot of impoverished people. The other way to help is by volunteering or donating to the charities/NGOs who work in such areas. Another way we can help our nation grow is by supporting “Make in India” to create more job opportunities for our fellow citizens and to improve our country’s economy.
Someone has indeed said, “charity begins at home.” The change begins with us. It is a very common take that the kids learn from their parents. So, let’s bring the move to make our society sustainable for our future generations to come. If we want to make our nation better, let’s start today. Let’s give back to the land where we are born.
P.S: Please share your opinion on the issue. Let’s be a responsible citizen.
“Opinion is the medium between knowledge and ignorance.” -Plato.
Very articulate in voicing the issues faced in India. Keep up the good work 👍