Music on the move

It is no exaggeration that a ride on a train in this country will provide an interesting glimpse of the diversity of its social life.

On a suburban train, one can see those who have been generally failed by the Indian welfare system, starting with blind people trying to sell cheap plasticky stuff to earn a living, fruit vendors, mendicants, street performers and vagabonds.

I saw this girl with a slightly older boy and a woman, presumably all from the same family, performing minor contortionist tricks on the train. The boy and girl danced briefly to the beating of a drum by the woman, then wriggled through tight metal rings, before seeking alms from the passengers. After their first act, the children were fascinated by the sight of another train moving in the same direction on the adjacent track, its horn loudly blaring. They smiled at each other and momentarily suspended their circus.



To the credit of most people, they parted with at least 50 paise, and I was quite sure that if this troupe could carry on with its act regularly (though that would be possible only until the kids remained 'small') they would at least stave off hunger.