Guest column: Warmth of a kind heart in the biting cold

Two years ago, on a cold winter evening, as we cosily sat in our warm quilts, I spotted four migrant labourers working on a concrete mixer in the lane in front of our house.

Two years ago, on a cold winter evening, as we cosily sat in our warm quilts, I spotted four migrant labourers working on a concrete mixer in the lane in front of our house.

Wearing torn jackets over their jersey, they were hard at work, lifting bricks, gravel and sand. Most of them were bare-handed. (ANI/Representational Image)

The eldest, Ramavtar, was in his 40s, while the youngest, Vishram, was about 20 years old. Wearing torn jackets over their jersey, they were hard at work, lifting bricks, gravel and sand. Most of them were bare-handed. I thought the least I could do was offer them hot tea. As I brought steaming cups of tea and some cookies to them, the men gave me a grateful smile. As they took a tea break, I enquired about their families.

They told me that they were from Uttar Pradesh and had walked back to their village when the pandemic cost them their jobs. Now, they are back to earn a living for their families by toiling hard no matter the weather, scorching hot or biting cold. They are the builders of our country in the real sense, and I told them as much.

After a well deserved break, the boys went back to work. At around 1 pm, I saw all four of them huddling together in a circle and having lunch from their small tiffin boxes. It was just dry rotis with a vegetable. I requested my wife to provide them some pickle, dal and jaggey and was gratified to see their visages brighten up.

The next day, they had moved farther away from our house, but in the afternoon I saw Ramavtar standing in front of our gate. He softly said, “Babuji, may we have some pickle for lunch?” I not just fetched him home-made pickle, but also salad from our kitchen garden.

A big surprise awaited me in the evening. Just as the boys were wrapping up for the day, Vishram walked up to me and said, “Babuji, our work is done, but some concrete mix is left. Is there some place in your house where we can use it as it will go waste.”

It was touching that despite having few resources they were willing to return a favour. Most people casually refer to these labourers as ‘labour’ as if they were a commodity. We forget they are also human beings like us with the same feelings and aspirations as us. They also want their children to go to good schools and do well in life. But who bothers?

I could not help but hug the young man. I told him that they were good lads and then requested them to fill a pot hole on the road near our house with that extra concrete mix.

ripu_d2003@yahoo.co.in

(The writer is an Ambala-based freelance contributor.Views expressed are personal.)