I don't whine about the cold anymore...

A month ago...
It was not just another day. It was that lazy winter morning I hate to wake up to and... it was exam day. I wearily dragged myself out of my double blanket, took a hot shower and got dressed. My nostrils flinched as I stepped out of the house. Not only was it cold, it was damp too. It had rained the previous night. The road was sodden, I cursed as I manoevred through the puddles on my heavy duty boots.The air was very chilly and the slight drizzle was compounding it further by wetting my MC pullover. I stood under the asbestos shelter of a nearby shop as I waited for my bus. I longed for a mug of hot coffee even as some juniors standing there bought cigerettes to ward off the chill. As they sent puffs of acrid smoke my way I wondered how it helped.
Then I saw a scene I knew will remain with me for a real long time....


He walked unsteadily towards the Pan Counter and dug into his pockets(or what was left of them), produced some coins and bought a couple of cigerettes. What struck me as unusual was that he he didn't look like a run-of-the-mill street begger, he had that eery look to him I couldn't place. He was clearly middle aged, with unkempt, irregular hair and brown beard. He was wearing an old Sherwani that was so soiled it could pass off as a rag. The sleeve edges were all threads and the color undiscernable but I knew knew it was worthwhile because it provided him with warmth no sweater could  match.
He hung over his shoulder a torn and ragged piece of cloth which I presumed was his blanket or bedsheet... wrong word..."pavement" sheet. It was all wet due to the previous night's rain. As he walked away I could see he wasn't wearing footwear and covering his legs was a piece of soiled cloth that could have been a pyjama or a dhoti. I couldn't tell. All my previous curses and gripes went poof...

I have seen some heart rending scenes before but this one just shook me to the core. I still see him everyday at the cross road curled up in his blanket under the harsh glow of the overhead flood lights.
He sits there all day mumbling to himself and smoking cigerettes. Curiously, I once saw him holding a full pack of Benson & Hedges! This man has seen better days...

With temperatures dropping to new lows, I am planning on buying him some warm clothing and a blanket but I'm apprehensive since I've never seen him taking alms and my uncle once warned me to be wary of such people(paranoia again).
Homelessness is very common in our society. Thousands of people are on the streets today braving harsh weather and hostility from the so-called 'better people'. In many cases they are mentally unstable which makes interaction with them difficult.

Confucious said:
"In a country well governed poverty is something to be ashamed of.
In a country badly governed wealth is something to be ashamed of. "