While walking towards the temple, my grandpa stopped and asked me," Akshita, can you think of any relation between poverty and dignity?" Little surprised by the question posed at me, I knew exactly what he was trying to convey! Yes, long post-dinner walks with my grandpa have always been an excellent way to capture words of wisdom.
Coming back to the topic, this is how my grandpa linked the two short words: "Poverty in dignity and dignity in poverty!" I thought for a while and realised how very realistic it sounded in the present scenario. So, I m using this forum to think aloud!
One side - Poverty in Dignity
There are the top notches who either have power or paisa which give them the license to fulfill their avarice for whatever comes to their mind. Their constant desire to uplift their social status compels them to take unfair means to do so. I think we are not short of instances to prove this statement. Politicians readily obeying to the demands if the lobbying corporates for the easy bribes that come there way. Rich businessmen buying seats in engineering colleges as if merit was worthless. There are endless fights over plots of land as if there was no other meaning to life. Large extravagant puja-ghars in houses of bureaucrats with thousands of idols while stacks of notes were being exchanged in the next room. All these are testimony to the fact that materialism has taken over the forces of individualism. We have become a part of the rat race and even if wisdom dawns upon anyone, the forces around him outweigh that hope! All these actions make us poor... Where lies the wealth, if we are so low in dignity?
Other side - Dignity in Poverty
There are those bottom ends which end up getting pushed down even further. The unheard voices know that their future is bleak and they would be looked down upon just like their ancestors were. Yet, in their very small world of nothingness, there are few who have found everything. They earn that much which lasts a day but end the day by thanking God for his small mercies. I remember the maid working in our house telling me once that she saves Rs. 3 everyday for her daughter's college fees. I believe she is living a dignified life even though she finds it extremely tough to make two ends meet. Her hand-to-mouth existence has never stopped her from keeping a bright smile on her face. It is this zing in life that will help her wade through all struggles and her daughter to have a successful future. She has the will to change whatever she wants to change. That in my opinion is a life of dignity!!
Sure, dignity can be achieved by honestly moving towards the pursuit of happiness!! As Gandhi says, "Happiness is when what you think, what you say and what you do are in harmony!"
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