It was raining heavily in Ahmedabad and returning from office I was very hungry. The nearby shop of hot samosas and pakodas tempted me to buy some. I parked my two-wheeler and went to the shop which is one of the most famous sweets shops of Ahmedabad and so was very crowded. While I was waiting for my order, a small poor little child came near me and started pulling my shirt.
Her hands were dirty due to rains and my shirt was also getting spoiled. The child was persistently pulling my shirt and asking me for something to eat.
I stopped her once, twice but she continued with much force. I was already irritated with the crowd and also very hungry. I lost my temper and shouted at her to “Stop It” and pushed her away or I would have slapped her. My voice was so loud that she started screaming and crying. She went and stood at one corner. I could see she was still crying profusely.
I got my parcel in few minutes but meanwhile my eyes never went away from her. She was still sobbing and crying. She too kept an eye on me. I had calmed down a bit and realized that she could be empty stomach too. When hunger is making me so much irritated she is after all a small child. `Hunger is Hunger’, it does not identify people.
I could not carry the parcel to my vehicle. I went to her and said “I AM SORRY” . She did not stop crying. I again said “I AM SORRY” and took out one samosa and few pakodas from the packet. She was too scared to take it from me. I wiped her tears and made her eat.
This was the first time I was seeing a child who was crying, smiling and also eating. I felt bad for my behaviour. I know I would not repeat. Indeed, “I WAS SORRY”.
Tanushree Patel, Ahmedabad
