From the team in India …
Streets to hospital to slum-hospitality
Last month I saw a guy with a horrific maggot-infested wound on his leg, lying by the side of the road. Initially I rode past – helping this poor chap was not on my already packed schedule for the day. But after a few pangs of guilt, I went back and talked to him. He asked to go to hospital, so I took him to the government one just 100m down the road. After some running around, it became clear they wouldn’t admit him, as they had become a Covid hospital. They sent us to another hospital, where he was finally admitted and his wound dressed.
For four days my roommate and I visited him in hospital, bringing him food and chai. Along with his awful leg wound, Tarkeshwar had a maggot infection in both eyes, which rendered him blind. The doctors at this hospital did what they could, but were keen to get him off their hands, and referred him to the larger government hospital. Here, they would not admit him – there were no beds, apparently. But they were happy to do the dressing; if we could bring him in daily. We wondered where we could keep him, given that our house was impossible – it’s on the first floor and we are out most of the day. After some asking around, our friends – who themselves live in a bamboo-and-plastic shack by the side of a railway track – agreed to take him in for a few days.
Coming clean, and coming home
Our hosts were very gracious to take Tarkeshwar in, but even they seemed barely willing to touch his clothes – which were so disgusting that the normal adjectives ‘filthy’ or ‘dirty’ can’t do justice. So I took his clothes and washed them at the public tap, drawing a variety of responses from the community. A couple people thought it was hilarious; others were shocked and told me not to. Many seemed touched that I would do such a thing. One of my friends started helping me wash the clothes, another gave me a soap. It felt glorious to challenge in deed some of the shackling codes of purity and hierarchy which govern so many lives here – a white male washing disgusting clothes is not something you get to see everyday! Afterwards, I stripped off to my underwear and had a bath – much needed, given the searing heat. I have been coming to this slum for 2 years, but this was my first bath at the public tap!
Next day, as we were talking with Tarkeshwar, he was able to tell us his address in a bit more detail. My roommate took him to try to found his house – in a city 60 km away. After a lot of searching, they were able to find Tarkeshwar’s house, and re-unite him with his wife and sons. We heard a bit more of the backstory – it seems Tarkeshwar had been missing for 2 months. He suffered from some mental health issues, and had an accident but wasn’t able to find his way home, so ended up on the streets of our city. Tarkeshwar’s family was delighted to see him back – but still have a big task ahead of them to save his foot and maybe his sight (though this would take a minor miracle).
Awesome or awful?
As I reflect now on Tarkeshwar’s tale, a mix of emotions arise. I feel proud of my roommate, and of our friends who hosted him for a few days, despite having so little themselves. I feel angered by the fact that Tarkeshwar had been lying by the side of the road for weeks, without anyone helping him. But on the other hand, the fact that he survived on the street meant that some people must have given him food or money. I feel saddened that the medical system doesn’t seem to value much the lives of the homeless – but I am also touched by the efforts of the individual doctors we met, including some who bought him medicines from their own pocket. I feel annoyed by India’s purity code, which prevents otherwise good-willed people from acting compassionately – yet delighted for my friend who helped me wash Tarkeshwar’s clothes. And I feel glad that we were able to help Tarkeshwar find his way home.
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