My Turn?

Today it was my turn to buy 2 Cadbury chocolate bars. It is a custom that I and my friends at office have developed. Every day after lunch, we go out of our campus to a nearby convenience store and get 2 bars which we split among the 5 of us.

Wednesdays and Fridays are when non-vegetarian food is served in our canteen. Not so good. Not so bad. These days see a lot of people excluding the IT girls. Sigh ! The food was surprisingly good today and I and my friends ate like pigs..!!

There is a peculiar practice in my canteen. The non-veg counter is always overcrowded with salivating people who unashamedly pile up the food on their mould-cast plates. The line is held up by the one who is lustily picking up the best chicken pieces that one can find..!!

I am always surprised by the amount of food we collectively waste. I dont know what prompts one to take a large helping of an item and eat only a bit of it. But not one person thinks twice about the food that one wastes. After a long retrospective session, I have come to the conclusion that.....I am a very good boy as I do not waste quite a lot of food.

So...it is Wednesday today. It was my turn to buy chocolates for our group who, like me, had gulped down at least a ton of food between us. The chocolate bars cost me INR 36 only. Expectant hands quickly shot in my direction as I emerged from the store. We tore away at the protective wrapping with lust dripping from our mouths.

"Daal-Chawal khila do na...." came a weak voice. ("Please feed me some rice... ").

"Saab.....daal-chawal khila do na..."

I heard him the first time. Others in my group did too.

The eyes were large, pleading and strangely dry. Hair was unkempt. Face was soiled. The shorts were torn in a number of places and held in place with a string improvised as a belt.

"Khila do na...." Now directly looking into my eyes. In turn, into every one else' eyes.

The boy looked hungry. However, the eyes belied nothing. No feeling. No urge to curse people around him who fed their obese selves incessantly. The 'People' always have a hard time coming to a decision to do some charity.

"Chal chal ....hat......abee...hat..!!" The security man posted outside the store shoved the waif away. ("Go on now....come on...go ...!!!")

We went back to hastily devouring our remaining pieces of chocolate. We had to get back to our desks. Our commitment to work should be displayed with utmost care.

It occurred to me that the boy had strangely dry eyes. Maybe he was tired of crying.