It’s a cold December morning on Humayun Road and 70-year-old Leela puts a quilt over the most recent additions to her family—Angreez, Nepali and Punjabi. Their mother Rani is asleep closeby with Kali and Guddi, but the quilt is reserved for the little ones.
Leela’s husband Jaisingh passed away in an accident more than a decade ago and her grown up children have no time for her, but the more recent four legged additions to her clan more than make up for this. ‘‘They are my real family now,’’ Leela says about the motley crew of strays she shares the pavement with.
‘‘Our kids are all well to do now and live in big houses. We just don’t fit into their lifestyle so we had to move out and on to the streets,’’ she shrugs. Away from the comforts of a home, the cold street has given birth to new ties. One family has been replaced with another. And the strays on this stretch of the street have found protectors in an old couple.
Sixty-five-year old Madan Lal shares the pavement with Leela. The two have been together on the streets for the past decade or so, ever since Jaisingh passed away. ‘‘I have been taking care of her all these years. Her husband was my best friend,’’ says Madan Lal. He proudly adds that it’s his job to get the food for the family’s morning and evening meals on his specially fitted cycle for the handicapped.
The image of the couple ferrying food for the dogs has triggered a street movement of sorts. Inspired by their example, three boys have joined the brigade. Devender, 13, Munir, 11, and five-year-old Sahil from the neighbouring jhuggi have collected a bag of sand, a few bricks and some cement to build a shelter for a pup they call Rahul—actor Shah Rukh Khan’s most used onscreen name.
Seeing Leela and Madan Lal putting their troubles behind them and care for the dogs, local residents have decided to pitch in. They have begun to help out with food and tarpaulins, though the MCD frequently plays spoilsport and takes away their belongings from the pavement.
In fact, man, woman and dogs has become such a constant on Humayun Road that frequent travellers on this stretch get worried if they don’t catch a glimpse of them. After all, it’s a reassuring sight. One that comes with a message of hope that adversity can take away a lot from a person but not everything.