Introduction

Life is a gamble and we should play with full zest and courage. We should not hesitate in whatever circumstances we are living. In this world there are rich and poor, holy and unholy, decent and ugly. All are the creatures of the same God. Some live in palaces and some on footpaths. The life on foot paths is of as importance as in palace. In a big city, the road is page and footpath is its margin. Whenever we read a book, we concentrate on the pages and not on the margin but still there are some who care for the margin not for the pages. Some care to write on the margin.

Footpaths-The purchasing centres

In cities, footpaths are of great importance and they have their own use. In broad day light, footpaths are the roads of those persons who are unable to move on the main roads. They purchase all the things on the footpath. Every thing is sold on these footpaths. Pens, pencils, vegetables, toys and things of all varieties that would not be available in the main market, can be seen on the footpaths. On the footpaths of Calcutta, we can purchase all the things.

Full of activities

Footpaths are full of activities. Political discussions, discussions regarding family affairs, discussions regarding the kinds of pocket robberies and stories on all the affairs can be heard on a footpath. Everybody is free to speak whatever he likes. The life of footpath is full of hue and cry. Nobody stops. He always talks and talks. The difference between the footpath and the road is that on a road there are vehicles and people whereas on a footpath there are people, people and people only.

In the morning, footpaths are not so crowdy as in the evening. Most of the shops on a footpath open in the evening. There are no signboards on these shops and no place to sit. There is only material and material, articles and articles. There are no fixed price. Everybody has to bargain to purchase an article. If you are a good bargainer, you can purchase the thing on less price and if you are you will have to pay a heavy price. On who has a shop on footpath, recognizes each and every man and he will tell the p according to the tendency of the purchaser. Imagine, had there been no footpaths in big cities, how them persons would have earned their livelihood who only depend t daily purchasing and daily sale. There is nothing secret on the on footpath. Whatever is there, is before your eyes. It depend you whether you purchase or not. The lower class usually purcha of their needs from the footpaths. Footpaths on Chants Chowk and Cannaught Place at Delhi and High Court at Madras things are so much crowded that it is difficult to move even an inch. The are so many varieties of all things that they cannot be seen even the main market of Lucknow and Panta. In the evening, the life footpath is so much hectic that nobody cares for pushing etc. The early two or three hours at night are also full of hectic activity. The shops disappear and the lights are put off.

Now another phase of life starts on footpaths. There is to roaring but whispering and whistling. There are unknown faces with their known activities. The unique type of bargaining begins on footpaths. All types of corruption can be witnessed on the foot paths. Whatever rich persons do in grand hotels, ordinary person do on footpaths.

By and the night becomes deeper and deeper and footpaths become silent. Now the footpaths are the homes of thousands of persons who sleep on them and never think of anything else. If you move in any big city in the night, you will find thousands of per sons who life on footpaths and die on footpaths. In India, there are more than two crores of persons who spend their lives on foot paths. They cannot take a rented room and there is no way out for them but to live on these footpaths. They never got a taste of homely life. They are born beggars and die as beggars. Even after 26 years of independence, lacs of children have the footpaths as their home.

Life on footpaths

The life on footpaths has its own philosophy and sociology. These footpathers have their own ethics, own symbols and own knowledge. Their life is like an open book and there are very few who have very care to read that book. These footpathers have on tax to pay. Footpath is their kitchen and footpath is their bed. There they live a carefree life. The persons of civilised society see them but they never care for the civilised persons. Whenever a policeman reaches there, he gets two or three bodies and the bottle of liquor and thus the life of the footpathers goes on with great speed.

For footpathers, there is nothing good or bad. They can do every act whether it is permitted or not. They can use every word whether the public likes it or not. There are some special persons who are living on footpaths from thousand of years. There are some who live on day on this footpath and one day on that footpath bit there is a footpath only in their life. There are thousands who left the peaceful life of a village to see the grandeur of the cities and thus became permanent dwellers of the these footpaths. A real footpather will never leave the city whatever might be the circumstance and whatever difficulties he might have to face. He will never leave the footpaths. He can, of course, change the footpath.

It is not true to say that all the footpathers are poor and the beggars. There are some who earn a lot and do not want to take the trouble of living the homely life. They want free residence and so they live on the footpath.

Conclusion

The number of footpathers is increasing day by day, but the Government is boasting to help them a lot. Of course our Government has done its best to solve the problem of these footpathers but it has not been able to solve it fully due the daily increasing number of footpathers. It a hundred dwelling houses are built for these footpathers, two hundred new footpathers join this life. It is a tedious problem and only God knows, how it can be solved.