Molesting our dignity

Sipping on my morning cuppa of chai, I glanced through the papers and sat up at the horror of what the front pages screamed! Airlines personnel in Kolkatta airport molesting a 9 year old child! The accompanying graphics showed a little girl with a doll in one hand and the shadow of a man lurking near by. Being a mother of an 8 year old, i was shocked and horrified to say the least. I thought of my innocent Guria building her sandcastles on the sand and land of fairies in her dreams, I shuddered in disgust. Whatever happened to words like Humanity, self consciousness, etc. the news continues on the lines of the man being released on a bail of a aimlessly sum of Rs 1000, pittance for the shattered dreams of a girl who would be hounded for life with nightmares of someone feeling her up. Parent or no parent, recognising the dangers lurking around innocence in every corner of the world, just waiting to pounce on some innocent is a thought that can send shivers down any sensible person's mind. We talk of so many things in general but how can we be so callous about such things which matter too. Airlines opinion puts it down to drunken behaviour on part of the man. Will somebody tell me why a drunken man was allowed inside the airport premises in the first place. Next time a plane crashes and we could say oh the pilot was drunk! Now that would be nice! Why are we as a nation extra casual about most things and we seem to have too much of patience for such things and ridiculously less patience when it comes to giving time to our children or spouses. Its time we woke up collectively and as a whole and voiced our protests against all these wrongs. If we are ever to protect our children and give them a free and safe environment to live in.

TODAY AND FOREVER

When you and I are young no more
Will you be by my side?
To share some pensive hours hereby?
Will you be there to hold me tight?
To tell me that you and I
And have grown together side by side.
Will you there to watch me sleep
To nestle me in your arms
While the world moves
At its own pace -----
Human minds do drift apart
But tell me you’ll be there
When the children need us no more
When the world is but a passing fantasy
To watch as it glides by
Tell you’ll be by my side
As the burning embers glow
To remember things sweet and good
That have become cherished memories of yesteryears

Tell me love you’ll be there, by me
To watch the sunset in the western sky
To see the dying glow fade
And merge us into things ---
‘Past and Present’

Just tell me you’ll be there
To reassure my searching glances
That you are real and by my side,
For today and Forever.

© 2007 Maitreyee Bhattacharjee Chowdhury