Faded Dreams

It's not unusual for Robin to work at eight in the evening. Yes, he has no shifts, no weekends, no holidays absolutely nothing; for Robin work is not worship, it's a necessity. 

Robin looked around him, shops were decorated with curtain lights, masked people around him were dressed in their fineries, little children still argued with their parents for the pistols, guns, car's or dolls of their choice. A few children dragged their parents to the carts selling pizzas, momo's, chicken rolls or icecream. Robin looked at them with dismay. He had a pain in his heart and that reflected in his dark brown eyes. 

Today is Maha Navami of Durga Puja, Robin was walking wanderlessly near the pandals, hoping to get something good to eat, but Puja this year was not good. There were hardly any doners distributing food and clothes. 

Robin kept his plastic rucksack in a dark corner at the far end of the Puja Pandal. He sat nearby in the dark for a long time, trying to shoo mosquitoes and flies buzzing around him. Robin grew impatient, how long should he wait? Like the past few months, today also he would have to  sleep empty stomach. His stomach started aching again, no the pangs of hunger is unbearable. It's been several months since he had proper two square meals. 

Robin lay down trying to find stars in the sky. He muttered, 'No, the weather is cloudy, how will the stars appear.' Closing his tired eyelids Robin started recollecting events; the past one year had been terrible for him. Yes, ever since he started working, he had never faced such terrible times. He recollected how during curfew last year for some protests, he had to go hungry for days and later a sudden lockdown, led to closure of business establishments and how he had to survive only on water and some boiled wild roots to survive before he got some relief from the local authorities. For Robin road in his only abode, he takes shelter under the flyover during rains and cooks on makeshift places to survive. He lost his widowed mother to a bomb blast when he was just seven years old and since then he collects garbage for a living. 

Robin suddenly opened his eyes to check if any customer visited the few makeshift stalls near the Puja Pandal. He saw a ray of hope as a few young boy's gathered around a counter selling chilled plastic water bottles, soft drinks and ice-cream. They drank a little and wasted more. They appeared quite rich with expensive watches, cellphones and bikes. Robin knew he could at least collect a few bottles and get some food if he hankered around them. He kept an eye on their activities. The young boy's also ordered some food from a stall nearby and ate half the food and threw the disposable plates nearby. Robin waited patiently till the boy's left the place. 

No sooner did the car's and bikes leave the place, Robin ran towards the plates, scavenging the food strewn on the road and the left overs on the plates. 

A tear drop appeared in Robin's eyes, he remembered the times when his mother was alive and how she cared for him. Robin felt miserable, life and all his dreams appeared faded. 

P.S: There are thousands of people who are going hungry due to lack of work during Lockdown. My dear friends kindly do your bit to help the needy.