A strange thing happened with me today. In the morning as I was busy with my daily activities at home, the door bell rang. My husband opened the door – A fair young guy 5.5 ft well dressed was standing outside the door with a smile on his face. Just beside him was standing a fair girl, around 4.8 ft, cleanly dressed in a white salwaar kameez.
The young guy greeted my husband and started saying – “My name is Ashok Bhatt. I am from Kashmir, I am a BCOM graduate. You must have heard about the curfew going on in Kashmir. It is very tragic as lot of us have lost everything including our dear ones. Lot of people have been thrown out from Kashmir and have been asked to go to various places in India. So lots of people have come to Hyderabad as well. So for these people we (college students) are running a camp in old city. Here we are providing them shelter and food. So if you could help us financially would be great”.
My husband nodded, and looked at me - I guess even he didn’t know what to say or how to react. After hearing Ashok even I was on the same boat as my husband. We didn’t know what to say- Kashmir being such a sensitive and heart breaking issue and somebody straight coming from that place to your door , in the morning narrating their story, at the time when in your wildest dream you were not expecting them –Left us all numb.
Suddenly the picture of a Kashmiri woman came in front of me whom I had seen on TV on a news channel, day before yesterday. As there were cross firing between militants and security forces in Kashmir's Tappar Village, on the Srinagar Muzaffarabad road in Baramulla district, there were some people who had to evacuate their own house to save their and their dear ones life. I still remember the face of the women crying in pain and anger for the sudden loss in their life- man I couldn’t sleep that night, courtesy to the news channel the way they show and highlight the pain and play with our emotions. And here it was again, another such story not on TV but in front me, in my house – Strange!!!
I could see both of them were perspiring and their cheeks had become red (it was more evident on the extremely fair skin), which was revealing that they have been in the sun for a long time. I asked them to come in, offered them glass of water, which they felt relieving and astonishing. I assume sun had been harsh on them and so were the people whom they had approached for help so far.
I noticed a file in Ashok’s hand which he then offered me to have a look. I was going through it, and found photographs of the people who were running the camp and the refugees, there were paper cuttings revealing their story. To my surprise I could not find a complete address of the place where the camp was going on, only the name of the committee was there and a phone number written with pencil. I asked him where the camp was running, he said very specifically it is being organised in Falaknama , he also said that whenever I get time I should visit them.
I so wanted to believe him, but somewhere something in me was stopping me from believing them. I asked the name of the girl, she said “Pinki”- no doubt she was pink. Ashok said, they have come in a big group and have scattered themselves in this region for the same cause. As he was talking to my husband and my brother, I went to the balcony to see if I could see some other people of his group, as we live on the fourth floor we can not only see the entire lane in front of the building but other lanes around our building as well, but no not even a single guy was there downstairs or nearby or even in next lanes .Which was strange to me.
My instinct was saying that they were not lying and that their story was true, but on the other hand there was no proof of their truth apart from that file and some photographs. May be because my life has encountered so many frauds asking for help, with their unique heart breaking stories, that it had become hard for me to believe these guys as well. I mean I have seen so many people well dressed, can talk properly, sounds literate asking for money, after hearing their heart breaking stories, it compels you to help them, and later after few months, you find the same person telling the same story to you again. Don’t believe me? - well it happened to me many a times, I was shocked too, as after listening to their stories I couldn’t forget their faces, but probably they must have not even registered my face in their thoughts when I helped them, so they approached me with the same story again.
Well same was the scenario for me again - I was sceptical, to help or not to help. Being the end of the month, anyways did not have much cash in hand, and was thinking what if they were actual frauds, then the money which has been kept to, somehow sail through the last few days of the month, till we get salary – goes for waste. At the same time the other part of me was telling me what if they were genuine, what if they really needed help, what if they were not getting to eat- and what if I miss this opportunity of doing something for them.
All this was going in my mind while I was asking Ashok various question trying to figure out, what was actually going on in his mind. We decided to help them with whatever we had, as we couldn’t do something great, as we were already going through a financial crunch at the moment. The moment my husband gave him some money there was a smile on his face. And guess what was his next question- he asked - if we could help them with the food for the camp as the daily expenses for the camp is Rs.25,000. We asked for his number and explained him our scenario, and told that once we are in a position to help them we would call him. He was disappointed as I could read his reaction, but honestly we were helpless too.
My husband suggested some names and organisations that they can approach for help, but he was least bothered to make a note of it, or even listen to it carefully- This actually left me with a question were they genuine? We made an entry of our name and signature in a form which stated so and so gave so and so Rupees. They thanked us and then they left.
We went to see in the balcony to check if they were approaching other people too, and saw them entering another building.This whole incident left me with a question – Were they genuine, and not frauds. Why it has become so difficult to believe people and their heart breaking stories. It was not the first time somebody had asked me for help, but it was the first time I was so reluctant to help.
I leave it upon you to decide and tell me if I did the right thing and these two people were not fraud?
Do share your thoughts on this. Thanks for reading - Cheers !!!
