Could life be so cruel?

I came across the above picture in social media and started crying inconsolably. It stirred my core. This purportedly is a Japanese boy who is in queue to cremate his infant brother whose body is tied on his back. The infant has died in an assault during the World War 2.

While it’s a sad depiction of human misery and plight, what probably brought tears to my eyes is it’s correlation to the recent happenings. We came across similar scenes some 80 years after world war 2 with the nears and dears of the Covid victims waiting at crematoriums to perform the last rites of their beloved. And I have come across families that have witnessed multiple deaths with no adult left in the immediate family to perform the last rites. In fact, like the picture above, I came across a heart rending picture of Orissa, where a 6 year’s old girl was trying to take care of her infant brother, as the children had both their parents dead. I understand that mercifully some NGO took charge of the lives of these children.

We are all lost in our day to day struggle for better life, little realising the uncertainty and fragility of this life. Those of us who are lucky to have the kindness bestowed upon us by life, should not close our eyes to the harsh reality of the life being unkind to many so that we collectively work for upliftment of the entire fraternity .