It was getting late, that much I knew. The sun was setting, and the animals were scrambling around to find a safe spot for the night. The ghats and flumes of the Ganges were a mob scene, as the animals and the pilgrims that usually populated them quietly made their way towards the water for a drink. The paths around the holy city were busy, as people came to offer their prayers and get holy water. I love this city, but it wasn't where I wanted to be. It was a place of past memories and brief moments I was never a part of.
Recently, I'd begun working in the city as a Narobi. I'm not supposed to reveal the identity of my recipients, but I think it's fair to say that he is very famous, and is incredibly important to the public at large. He is very rich, and supports countless charities. He collects Ancient Coins, and has a massive collection of them. He has also given countless donations to my people, such as food and medical care for our communities, and he also keeps the Narobi on retainer. He isn't much of a politician, but he definitely knows how to wield power.
This kind of power isn't always welcome in modern India. The media has been abuzz with the news of a new program to 'Strictly Monitor' all phone calls, e-mail, and internet traffic. I don't even know what that means, and I did not ask. But it is a worrisome development to us, as many of us rely on the internet for entertainment and work.
There is a lot of unrest at the moment, with protests and bombs going off at several places. It is all the children's fault, they say. There had been a rash of kidnappings, and people were afraid to go to the banks and to the train stations. But I see it very differently. I see a country where the Government does not care about it's people. They don't give a damn about the people in any of the cities, the countryside, or even the villages, when there is so much money to be had. It is getting harder to live. Even here, there will soon be no government help. The price for any sort of help is too high, and the help never arrives. Believe me, my heart is telling me that this is not one man's fault, but the fault of all who surround him.
I work with some of the best and brightest people on the planet, men and women who are some of the brightest minds of our time. I have never been awed by them; rather, I am humbled. The only thing that separates us from them is our lack of power. None of them have the ability to make change there. And nearly all of us are losing faith in the Government. It has become clear to many of us that the people who govern us only care about themselves. The amount of corruption is staggering. These people don't care about anything other than making money by whatever means necessary. They lack accountability.
Because of this, we lost a Narobi last year. We lost three to be exact. They died for no reason other than to prove a point, to the Government and to the country at large. People don't like to think about it, but it's true. People don't understand why people like us, who have so little, are willing to give it up for an even smaller commitment. They don't understand our duty to our people, to our faith.
We have many choices as Narobi. It is a profession that brings us a chance for a peaceful life and house and a job that will be good for many years. We are given money for living expenses, most of us work in the construction industry, we spend about half our time on this spiritual duty, the rest on the other jobs. Because of all this we are very well off.
Unfortunately, this makes us easy targets.
