Former and Later

28th June 2008, Saturday… As a part of Community Service we had Medical Camp Arranged at a Garment Factory located some 50km from InfoTech City of India. The Bus was ready with all the medicine loaded and Morning Breakfast for the Volunteers of the Event. The Schedule Departure was 7:45 am and the Volunteers were gathering one-by-one on a Saturday Morning, after all we had a week long of hard-work and the morning been for lazy wake up from the comfort of bed. Finally we started and making our way through the Morning Traffic of Bangalore we reached the Factory after having a served breakfast in the Bus.
All the welcome arrangement was ready at the Camp, as a corporate with Software Techies was visiting a manufacturing facility. We started unloading the medicine supply from the Bus and within short time were ready with the Setup. A Registration Centre, General Check-up Point, ENT and Dental Check-up Point, Medical Distribution Counter and Guidance Points.
The workers of the factory arrived in batches for check-up. Registration Volunteers issued slips, Guidance Volunteer guided people towards Points and Distribution Volunteers handed over the prescribed medicines to the workers. My role was of a Guidance Volunteer. I could see People making queues. People, People like us, People whom we have Pledge as my Brothers and Sisters in our National Pledge in School. But there was a difference in Pledging All Indians as Brothers and Sisters and seeing those Indians. Young-Old Innocent faces, faces with a look of Hope, Hope which sees the Doctors as God and Volunteers as Angel.
I am no Angel but there was the difference between these People and us. I was wondering, how many of them got the a share of morning breakfast, how many of them got a hunger satisfied for last night dinner, how many of them will get balance diet for afternoon lunch. Majority of the workers were weak physically. Some of them were not able to keep their hands stable; there was shiver in them, as if ripples are passing from the minds into the hands. Eyes of some were going deep with black circles around them. But they were all disciplined and quietly standing the queues formed, waiting for their turn to see the Doctor and get the medicine. There was another group of people who were looking like us, well-dressed, physically normal, stylish hair, mobile phones around and they were getting a direct access to the doctors without bothering to stand in the queue. The difference was the former were Workers and later were Staff.
We Volunteers got the chance to have a factory visit and see the process of Garment Manufacturing. I was not able to see or understand how the Garments are manufactured. All I could see was only peoples, Former and Later. The Factory was as if the face of India and People with difference was the people of India. Sometime I studied in schools about Unity in Diversity and I always thought what this diversity is, is it the Regional Culture, is it the Regional Language, and is it the Religious beliefs. But all I can see this Diversity is nothing but the difference between Rich and Poor. This Diversity is in the way we see and treat people depending on the way they look, the way they dress, the way they live, the money they have. This Diversity cannot be basis of any Unity.
I don’t know how to find the path to Unity. All I know is the Former People need help and not favour. Every Citizen/Company/Government has a social responsibility, because society is what makes Human being different from animals. The former people are victims of mal-nutrition which makes them former. They need balanced diets, healthy living conditions. The Hopes in the eyes is making me think again and again. Why is this difference which makes people Former and Later?