Faridabad: The cold in Faridabad has become more cruel this time. By nightfall the roads become empty and the wind blows so strong that even the bones tremble. The temperature is falling every day and there is fog everywhere in the morning and evening. Going out late at night is no less than a punishment. In such a situation, everyone wants to reach home quickly, wrap themselves in a blanket and sit comfortably in a warm room. But there are some people on these streets of Faridabad whose home is this footpath. Spending the night under the open sky with their children in the cold, cooking food on the roadside and sleeping on the cold ground is their everyday routine.
open air on the footpath your freedom
Local18 team left for reporting at around 10 pm. Night shelters were open in many areas of the city, there were lights and sleeping arrangements were also available. Still, many people were found lying on the roadside and footpaths, near the shutters of shops, outside the temples. The team asked him why do he sleep here when there are night shelters? Most of them avoided saying anything on camera. Some clearly said that they do not like to live there. Baki slowly told that he felt himself a stranger amidst the crowd, atmosphere and rules. The open air and freedom on the footpath is what they feel is most dear to them.
The view in front of Hanuman temple near Bata Chowk was heart touching. Here many families were lying on the cold ground with small children. A woman was cooking food on the stove, the children were sitting curled up in the cold air. The night was getting darker and the temperature was falling, but for them all this is everyday. It seems as if even the cold has given up on their courage.
don’t like to live in night shelter
As the night progressed, the cold became more severe, but there was no complaint on the faces of these families lying on the footpath. The children were shivering from the cold, but were seeking solace in their mother’s lap. Men and women were trying to sleep wrapped in thin blankets. The noise of vehicles in the distance, the strong winds blowing from time to time and the hard ground of the road all together were showing a reality which we often ignore.
The footpath is their everything
In a big city like Faridabad, night shelters are not only made, arrangements are also made and teams spread awareness. But these lives have their own fears, their own habits, their own compulsions. Home means something else for them. The footpath is their security, it is their home and it is their whole world.
