A little girl, maybe 10 or 12 years old, on my bus in Delhi was playing music by hammering two flat stones against each other in her right hand using the index finger as a pivot. It was skillful. She was also singing some song in praise of the "mata". More than anything, I was impressed with her use of stones to produce sharp rhythmic beats. As she approached passengers with her left hand out-stretched, I handed her a rupee. There was another voice which accompanied her song. The voice belonged to a much younger girl, maybe around 5 or 6 years old. I had not been able to see the little one in the slightly crowded bus...
Normally, I refuse to pay beggars. I indicate my non-willingness to part with my dear money by a brusque shake of the head. Today, I wondered that I would have liked to record that talent if I had a video camera, and my thoughts moved on to how I should have payed her if I had indeed recorded the performance.
And so I decided to give her a coin from the pocket of my coat. It turned out to be a rupee. A penny for my thoughts...
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