A family separated by cold

“Sahab,uska bukhar chadh raha hai,vo khaas raha hai. Please kuch kariye,” Deviram says. Haq takes out a medical box and treats the child to a Crocin,and a mouthful of Benadryl. “He will go to sleep now,” Haq tells the worried father.

However,none of this seems new to Deviram. The daily-wage labourer says,“We came from Samastipur in Bihar two years ago. There was no work for me there,no way for me to earn my living. Here,we manage to get by,but there’s never enough to rent a house. So,during the summers,we stay under the Nizamuddin flyover,where my wife and two children beg for alms. During winters,we take turns to sleep in night shelters. Mostly,it is Ramu and I who sleep outside. But sometimes,the choice is made for us by one of the children — who fall ill. If Shipra is unwell,we go to the women’s night shelter in Kilokri. When Ramu needs warmth,we come here,and Haq sahab takes care of us. I have asked them on many occasions,but we have never been allowed to sleep together.”

Haq,however,says it is dangerous to let women into night shelters. “First,it is not allowed by the organisation. Second,you have to understand the kinds of people who come in here. Most of them are either alcoholics or drug addicts. Letting a woman in here could cause a lot of problems. Also,we have to shut the gates by 9.30 pm because more than 200 people try to come into this place,which can accommodate just 150. We regularly run out of blankets and pillows. So,if I let her in,there will be brawls,which are frequent anyway. So,while I understand Deviram’s problem,I can’t allow it,” said Haq,who is a doctor,a counsellor and banker — all rolled in one.

Around 4 am,Deviram shakes his son awake and leaves the night shelter. He,as usual,wants to be the first to be picked up by the contractors from Kotla Mubarakpur. “One day,I will get a steady job and rent a small house or a jhuggi. Till then,all we can do is survive.”