I’ve just returned from a two week tour of Bangladesh. Crowned the happiest nation in the world by social researchers at LSE, one can sense the contentment that comes from simple living and high thinking. However, on a second-class overnight train from Chittagong to Dhaka I was confronted with the flip side of the story. A constant stream of desperate beggars petitioned passengers to lend a hand – they were frail, hungry and completely at the mercy of others. As we pulled into the dingy station, the platform was lined with a row of homeless bodies, struggling to catch some rest on the smelly stone cold floor. Past the ticket counters a leper boy perched on the shoulders of his blind friend investigated the trash cans for any useful scraps that may help them get through the day. It was a sorry sight.
Blind eye
Blind eye
Blind eye
I’ve just returned from a two week tour of Bangladesh. Crowned the happiest nation in the world by social researchers at LSE, one can sense the contentment that comes from simple living and high thinking. However, on a second-class overnight train from Chittagong to Dhaka I was confronted with the flip side of the story. A constant stream of desperate beggars petitioned passengers to lend a hand – they were frail, hungry and completely at the mercy of others. As we pulled into the dingy station, the platform was lined with a row of homeless bodies, struggling to catch some rest on the smelly stone cold floor. Past the ticket counters a leper boy perched on the shoulders of his blind friend investigated the trash cans for any useful scraps that may help them get through the day. It was a sorry sight.