We too can share warmth by donating our old blankets and woolen clothes with people who need them during winter.
Nandu Veersingh trembles at the thought of the approaching winters. Sumi Darsingh waits for someone to donate a blanket for her little one. Narmada Dantani prepares to keep her family warm using torn sarees and mattresses.
While some of us await the onset of winters, Nandu, Sumi and Narmada are among the many who avoid the thought of the biting cold. They are among the many unfortunate people who live on the roadsides and have to bear the brunt of the biting winters.
Nandu says, "We hardly have enough clothes to wear. How can we afford to have warm clothes for ourselves?" She has preserved a few warm clothes for her children, which she has been using year after year. Nandu dreads the thought of passing the chilling months of December and January in her small tattered hut on the pavements of SG Highway.
Meanwhile, Sumi, who struggles to live in a tarpaulin tent near Nehru Nagar crossroads, says, "I am only worried about my little children. I wrap them in my old sarees and hug them tightly to keep them warm." Many people across the city live without getting an access to the basic necessities of life. Clothes are one of the vital ones; especially during the winter season. The heat of a bonfire that we see lit on the roadsides is often not enough to safeguard the people from the unbearable cold. Sumi says, "We strengthen ourselves to fight and face the cold. We are used to the cruel winters now."
Whenever we see a car stop near our tents, we hope that someone would give us something warm to cover ourselves, Sumi adds. But she adds that there are times when people come and give blankets and sweaters. "We bless these people from our heart. It takes a lot to come forward and do something for others," she says.
Narmada, who lives on the roadside near IIMA crossroads, says, "Sadly, with passing years, the number of people contributing in charity has reduced. Why would anyone think of giving us some warmth?"
With this year's winters at our doorsteps, not only Nandu, Sumi and Narmada, but all those sleeping on the roadsides on shivering nights are feeling helpless. But we can make a difference by sharing our old blankets and clothes with such people.
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