The trend of leaving our elders at the mercy of God and doing our jobs outside, irrespective of what happens to them, has reached its peak. Yesterday, I along with my papa was walking through one of the uptown areas of Srinagar when suddenly we heard some cries coming from a nearby house. We stopped and heard someone calling for help and requesting for opening of the main gate, which was bolted from the outside. We opened the gate and were aghast at seeing an old man and woman, with wrinkled faces and frail bodies, weeping. Papa inquired from them the reason for which they were crying, but they bade us farewell and said nothing.
However, on papa’s request, they with tears rolling down their cheeks told us that they had two sons, one settled outside India and the other working in Srinagar. The son along with his wife leaves for their respective jobs in the early morning, bolting the gate from outside, confining both of them to the four walls until they return in the evening.
We need to ponder over such unfortunate state of affairs in our city. Is this the kind of society we want to live in?
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SYED ARSHAD GILANI