Those Starving Eyes

Story By:- Tanmaya Panda,23

The bus slowed down gradually, sending a wave of dust down that graveled road. 

From the day since the evacuation and rehab had begun, these places that we know as, "Quarantine Centers" have been full of hustle and bustle. Every other day a new batch of people arrives, to spend their time in quarantine as per the norms. 

I have been posted here for at least a month and I have come across all sorts of people here. The stickler for rules, the Arrogant Youth, the Fickle children, the aged and so many more. Spending time with them was not just my duty, but had turned to my only Solace too. 

Because what else could a bachelor like me who had no friends and had left behind his family in his hometown would do in a city that's completely unknown.

As usual, the people started pouring out of buses. People of all age groups and occupations. There were all, ranging from the richest to the poorest of the lot on that bus. They had just returned to their Village where they initially had to spend their days in quarantine, for the stipulated time period after which they would be allowed into their village.

As an old habit, I started observing people keenly. Nobody seemed to show interest though, as I had to greet everyone with a plastic smile. But then, the brightest smile of the lot greeted me. 

She was a little girl, probably 10 years old. She wore a smile that would make you forget worries. I decided at that very instant that I will meet her once the formalities got over. 

Five days after her arrival, I was finally able to meet the little girl. She was with her mother. As I learned, her father had passed away before her birth and her mother was a daily wage worker. There was something about that girl that drew me closer to her every day. I finally was able to talk to her one day, and after a long conversation about random topics, she asked me a question that shook me to the very core. 

The girl asked, " Bhaiya, hum koi achhoot hai kya?". 

She wanted to know if she was some kind of untouchable. I was confused and asked why she thought so. 

She replied back in an innocent tone, 

" Wo kal gaon ke kuch log humse milne aaye the. Unhone kaha bhale tum yaha se nikal jao, gaon me ghusne nahi denge. Tum aur tumhari maa se gaon ko khatra hai. Tumhe to abhi chhuna v jaanleva hai. To Tum gaon chhhodkar kahin duur chale jaana". 

And I was completely stunned to know the mentality of the society. When the whole world is battling a pandemic, there are some people who treat their own species, co-humans as toxic and untouchables. Even before we find a cure for the illness, we have to cure our minds. The sense of togetherness is what we need to inculcate, before treating the patients. 

In no way are the returnees any kind of outcasts or diseased people and they must be treated equally humane as we treat our own family. 

With these thoughts, I finally bade goodbye to the girl and returned to my room. 

The Sarpanch barged into my room with concern and burst out, "Sir aap kyu unke itne paas jaate hai? Jaante nahi keede hai saare. Jitna duur rahenge utna achha hoga. Agar aise hi milte rahe inse to hume aapko kahi aur bhejna padega". And I just looked at his face, both awestruck and disgusted, looking at the path of degradation that, the human was going down to.