The Beggar Girl

By Rishika Agrawal

I was travelling on my way to the office when I got stuck in the most disastrous place…..

Yes the traffic….

Among all the honking and noises, I tried not to lose my patience and my one eye was constantly on the tik-tok of my wrist watch, as I was getting late.

In India, we often found balloon vendors, flower vendors and beggars at the signals.

One annoying thing was the unnecessary traffic jam, that was because the Minister of the area had a rally and other was the peeping in of the various sellers every now and then.

I switched on my radio and 93.5FM updated me, that the traffic would be cleared in another 20minutes.

What a great relief!!!!

I heard few of my favorite songs to pass the time.

Then appeared a girl at my window, requesting me to buy gajra(flowers)

I was irritated first, but then there was something about her face that caught my attention.

What!!!!

This is just a miracle.

I asked the girl to come with me.

She didn’t expect such a reaction from a stranger and resisted. After a moment she ran away as she was scared.

A girl in her 20s, selling things at the signal and begging, how can I ever think she would take me right?

The traffic started clearing and I started my way to the office.

Physically I was there but mentally my mind kept questioning how can that happen?

I lost my 19years darling daughter in an accident a few months back. She was a topper and wanted to become a doctor. The pain surfaced when I saw the “Beggar girl.”

She resembled my daughter completely. What an irony!!!

I couldn’t get her with me or help her in any way.

That night I spoke about it to my wife. She was eager to meet the girl. As she insisted badly, I took her to the same place.

After waiting for an hour she appeared. But she was reluctant to come on the side where we were waiting.

I called up the NGO who helps the poor children.

They turned up in no time and then we met about 15children in their teenage begging in an area of 3kms.

She was one of them. On enquiry we learnt that they were not beggars, but the children who lost everything in the floods, their home, parents and everything.

The NGO took the children to their rehabilitation center.

We drove with them and the girl was called. This time she came up, as she knew we were there to help her.

My wife couldn’t stop sobbing on seeing her face. We requested the NGO if we can take the girl home.

We had everything of our daughter for her. She was our only child.

We got her bathed and neatly dressed. She looked almost the same.

We even gave her the name of our daughter and from that day my daughter was back.

Yes we decided to adopt her.

She was good at her studies and worked hard in engineering.

She wanted to be an engineer.

Today we are again driving, three of us, to attend the convocation ceremony of my daughter…….

MIRACLES HAPPEN, IT IS ONLY THAT WE MUST HAVE A HEART BIG ENOUGH TO UNDERSTAND THE BEAUTY OF THE ALMIGHTY…………

By Rishika Agrawal