The Destitute

Sunday afternoon. The roads and markets were busy, buzzing with all kinds of sounds and movements. A good number of vehicles were plying on the road carrying their passengers in different directions. However, everything was moving at a snail's pace due to the huge congregation. The vendors displayed their wares in various places in different manners almost encroaching on the road. Mud and cow dung littered the road and foul smell oozed out from those.

There was a small bridge just at the entrance of the market area and the passage had been narrowed down to the width of a village road. Still, a lot of vehicles entered and exited through the same narrow bridge. To make the matters worse a bunch of beggars sat on one side of the road which had the sidewall of the bridge blocking one side completely. It was truly dangerous to sit there and beg but the beggars had accepted as their most advantageous point or place of interceptions for the public who had to enter through that way only.

On the end part of the bridge, an old man uses to sit on a regular basis braving the scorching sun and the heavy vehicles who often find it difficult to cross the bridge. But he was a resilient fighter of his mountainous agonies and vicissitudes. First of all, he had no one in this world. No place to stay. Spends the day on that dangerous bridge and takes a nap on the pavements of some city roads. He was destitute whom nobody ever bothered to ask his identity or his place of birth. He begged because he had to after losing both his feet in an accident. Somehow he escaped death in that grueling incident, perhaps to suffer more pain, insult, and distress. But he was resolute not to give up and fought for his survival. He often asked God to award him death and free him from the hardships but He also overlooked him. However, he was a familiar figure in that market area and everyone knew him as " Bridge baba".

One day, God finally listened to his long-standing request. A heavily loaded lorry lost its balance and overturned in the same place smashing and pulverizing everything on its way. And with everything went Bridge baba and two of his friends who also begged on that cursed bridge. The road was completely blocked by the fallen vehicle and a crane had to be used to remove the truck from the bridge. Then only the body of the destitute was recovered from the debris and leaked oil that had made a mess of everything in and around the surrounding.

After the body was recovered the police tried to ascertain the cause of the accident. And the entire blemish went to Bridge baba and two of his colleagues. Then only, for the first time ever the identity of the Poorman was sought after in every place of the city. But unfortunately, nobody knew.......