The Have Nots

We left Delhi this morning for the airport and this is the sort of scene all too familiar to us now- a family packing up their bedding after a night on the streets. It's heartbreaking to see, and one has to wonder what life offers these poor street people.

Especially heart breaking was the little boy of about 7, bare footed and dirty, who came alongside the bus at some traffic lights, gesturing up to us for something to eat.

His Lordship and I are determined to set up a standing order to help kids like him who have run away from home, either to escape abuse or to make some money and have come into the city, and found themselves lost and living in the filthy teeming stations like Delhi.
There is an organisation -Railway children India, who help such children by finding them accommodation and prevent them falling into the hands of pimps.

Despite the dust and poverty in the cities we visited, apart from Shimla, there is a growing affluent middle class of Indians, most noticeable in Jaipur.
For the rest, an increase in public toilets would be a huge step forward. Need I say more?