November is monsoon time in Chennai. After a sweltering summer and then a second summer that struck us all in October we’d had just about enough of the sun. Image 36 – 38 degrees of humid heat in October! So rains now have certainly come as a welcome break! Last evening we had heavy downpour. I of course go crazy when it rains, so my daughter and I ran off downstairs to get wet and dance in the rain. We did our thing while neighbours smirked at us from their balconies and our watchman grinned indulgently from his cozy corner.
As the downpour subsided we decided to go upstairs and dry ourselves. That’s when the watchman came up to me and pointed out the frail old woman sitting by the side of our building beneath a tree. She was so frail that she was almost invisible! She was completely drenched and had covered herself with a brown bedsheet, rocking back and forth on her heels and shivering in the dampness induced chill. My watchman also said that she had a big, open, festering wound on her leg – which was smelling pretty bad among other things!
We had no idea where she had come from or why she was wandering alone with such a terrible wound in her leg. All entreaties to her to move away from the rain and sit some place which is dry fell on deaf ears. We were unsure as to whether she could really understand what we were saying. She however spoke Tamil, her voice, weak, feeble and shaky. She mumbled something that none of us could understand.
I had to leave with my daughter for her dance class so I quickly made a cup of tea for the old woman and handed over the tea and biscuits to my watchman asking him to give it to her.
While I waited at my daughter’s dance class I called an aunt who knew someone at Banyan which is an organization that takes care of such destitute senior citizens. Aunty called them and gave the details, but the response from Banyan was not favourable. They said that they had stopped receiving grants from the government and were not in a position to take in more people. The funds they had were just enough for food and medication of existing residents.
Chennai Municipality gives two numbers (100 and 108) that we can call to report such incidents. When I called and explained the situation, the guy at the other end – did not even bother to take down the location. “We’ll take care.” He said and banged the phone down.
Chennai Municipality also gives a mobile number where we can message any such issues. So I sent them a message – giving details of the woman, location etc. A prompt reply came saying ‘Thank you for using this service. We will tackle the issue immediately.”
Of course nothing happened. No one came. The rain just got heavier and heavier. We reached back home by 8:30, the old woman was still wrapped in her brown sheet, getting drenched in the rain.
I went home and sent down some hot food, a glass of horlicks, a nightgown, a thick bedsheet and a huge plastic sheet with which she could cover herself. Given the situation, it was the best I could do.
It rained the whole night.
This morning I peeped out of the balcony. She had shifted and positioned herself outside our gate. Our watchman was trying to tell her to move away from the gate as cars had to move in and out. Finally she dragged herself out of the way and went back to the platform just past our building. All she had with her was a tiny little plastic bag. A lifetime of possessions that fit into that little bag. Sad.
It brought tears to my eyes.
I felt helpless that I could not help her. Ashamed that I did not have to courage to go hold her hand. Did not have the strength to comfort her or even go speak to her. I was interacting only through my watchman! I was a mere spectator to her misery.
I again sent her a cup of hot tea and biscuits. My watchman said the smell from her wound was really bad and it was horrible to even go near her. He said it out of pity, not out of any malice – as he took the tea and biscuits from my hand and quickly delivered them to her. I watched from my balcony as she sipped the hot tea and dipped the biscuits into that. She put the remaining biscuits into her little plastic bag and then as it started to rain again she huddled into the giant plastic bag I had given her the previous night.
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