04 Sep STORY OF A STREET SIDE TEACHER

The Story belongs to STREETSIDE BY NRC

Udaipur 2012, I was travelling to a beautiful place. There, I met a woman who in spite of living on the streets, she conversed in English language. This is not so common in our society, so I was astonished. It was more than an appreciation for a condition she was in, it was just not resistible for me to understand her condition and I wanted to check out the reason for why this woman with a bit of knowledge and good speaking ethics was lying on streets like hell?

For me she was a different soul to look forward

While having a conversation with her, I was always confused about her identity. She says “Passersby mainly ignore me; they consider me as a homeless woman sitting on the sidewalk or a bench. Many people also assume that the homeless are all drug addicts, criminals or prostitutes. I am none of these things.”

How did she end up homeless?

She lost her job and that spiralled into losing her rent-controlled apartment. She went to the city for help where she was given a list of charities to be contacted. She reached out to all of them; hoping for a help in terms of money needed to pay the rent. But no one helped her, not even my children. She had no option except becoming one homeless street side woman.

She has gaps in her life now. She has no permanent address or bank account. Every Landlord want to see the evidence of a stable income.

Leftovers are a part of my life

“Once a week, I help unload a farm truck because the drivers give me fruit. I also sweep a pavement outside a restaurant; the owners give me hot soup in the winter. People sometimes drop off cookies and other leftover food. I can’t tell you about the most unsanitary, unhealthy and dangerous places I have been for food.”
I don’t want to sound like I am whining.

“I have also met people who have helped me. I have shared my problems. Yes, even today some people are kind, patient, good listeners, and helpful”.

Her dream was to be a middle school math teacher. Her college degree is in computer science, and she used to be a substitute teacher too.

Used images are just to portray the story and it has no specific link to it.