The Beggar Princess

She daily used to beg with her father and mother and got tired of walking through the streets and along the long roads of her beat. Streets in the morning and roads in the evenings were their usual haunts. Both her mother and father were healthy and good looking but had no profession of living except spreading hands before others and uttering very pleasing prayers for those who gave them some dirty rupees or moved their faces away in repulse. She also used to walk bare footed in severe cold season and also in hot summer and if someone asked about it, the reply was that it was a “manat”.

Her hair needed no brush and oil and her face never felt the need of washing. But her face had an innocence of childhood that was not marred by formalities and educational institutes. The wilderness about her face and figure were alluring like old nymphs and sprites. But beauty of each type is not watched by every eye; common eyes view common beauty and rare ones rare. Her father was a young man of almost forty but he never enjoyed self respect even in his dashing youth because their profession for some ages had been begging, praying and collecting. They never felt any shame or disgrace because when all members of a family of a are doing the same business , no one is to taunt or admonish rather begging more and more becomes their forte.

But little Kiran, had started to feel something different from her parents and wanted to do something worthy as she looked at the school going boys and girls of her age and asked so many questions from herself and sometimes from her father but never got any answer to appease her disturbing thoughts.

She thought about her coming times and got stirred up in her mind to apprehend that not only she but all her coming generations are to stray their lives roaming about these streets , bazaars and roads. She imagined herself just like the dirty straw of her path. Do the illiterate minds not think? The answer is strongly positive rather they think more than the literate ones because they have no limitations as are imposed by class-rooms and the high walls of the institutes.