Differently Abled I am ...

I clean your MESS to live ...

Lalla was aged 10 and was crippled. He had a squatting posture and could never spread his limbs. He moved by dragging himself on his hands. He stood at the platform and enquired the men nearby about the approaching train. When the train halted at the station he buttoned his shirt and started towards the compartment swinging on his hands. His hands were the only functional limbs he had. He moved with a reasonable speed. Held the steps of sleeper compartment and dragged himself inside. The compartment was jam packed and many stared at the handicap of Lalla who had already learnt to ignore the gazes. He rolled his shabby shirt’s sleeve and started his work of cleaning the compartment floor. He did it in his own unauthorized way. Sometimes passengers even threatened to call the police but hunger knows no threat and the boy carried on his chore like an artist moving his paint brush. He swept the floor from one corner to the other and then turned around the staring faces. He crossed from one berth to the other hoping a coin to fall in his hand. Some scolded him to get away others warned him not to steal the foot wears. A richly clad young man even went on to add, “I know they are a group functioning under some local goons.” Lalla just ignored pushed himself on his hips towards the passenger on other berth. A coin or two sometimes came as a surprise from some compassionate passenger. Lalla now gathered speed because the train was about to depart. He hurried to the door when a beautiful little girl came to him and handed him a packet of biscuit and smiled. She gently lifted her long frock to show him the steel braces which held her polio infected legs. She smiled at him. He smiled back nodded and rushed to the door. The train was leaving the platform. With a skilled gesture he held the handle near the door and flung himself on the platform. He looked at the packet of biscuit. The little girl rushed to the window and shouted, “BYE.” Lalla waved back, turned around and started towards the yard swinging his squatted body on his hands.