The clapping hands
This topic has been going through my mind for a long time. To be precise, from the first time I went outside my homestate on a train.Even before that I have heard about these group of people from others.Yes, the clapping hands of ‘Hijadas’(Don’t know whether that is the correct way to address them).
In my homestate, the chances of having this experience is really low. The first time I saw this clap was in a train when I was going to another state.Most of the people shared their experience to me about hijadas.That made a negative impression in my mind. And when I first heard the clap, I was scared. All that fear came out.Many questions started to fill my mind. “Will they shout?” “Will they touch me in any uncomfortable way?” etc…When they came to our compartment,they were already shouting alot to another guy in the next compartment. But in my compartment, no one made any comments or any unwanted issues and they became calm.One of them came and sat near me, asked me for money and they were saying something else also.I gave a ten rupee note. After giving blessing they left.I took a long breath. On the same trip I had this experience many times, which made me think “Why?”.
The impression which I had was changing after every time I meet them. I know that the society won’t consider them equally as others. They do this because of no other choices.Those people we see on train and metros doesn’t have a clue on how to get away from this life and most of them consider this is their way of life, because the society has changed it like that. But, They are also part of our society. I have seen people behaving so harshly to them, chasing them , beating them, saying bad words.I do not expect the society to care or help them , but considering them as part of our society will help them to change their life very much. In recent times, a ray of hope is emerging with the new generation. Many of them have good jobs, exploring different paths and opening doors for others to follow their footsteps. I hope all this bad mentality of the society change and care about all humans equally.