SHILLONG: A destitute, who has made the verandah of a shop in Laitumkhrah market his home, has refused to shift to government shelter home.
Lumlang Lamare was resolute as he shook his head. “Ngam treh Ngam treh (I do not want to go there). I want to be here and watch the sky and sun”, he said.
When told that he would be well looked after, he said, “No, what about at night? I will have to be locked inside and who has the keys? No I do not want to go there.”
Lamare ekes out a living by collecting cartons and earns Rs 100 or Rs 200 per day. Asked as to how he gets his food, he named one Babu as his benefactor who often feeds him.
He has a dog named Kali, who recently gave birth to five puppies. Seeing her wandering away from her puppies, he commanded the dog to look after them. Kali listened. She is obedient, Lamare said proudly. “She is like family”, he said.
What, however, worries him is that Kali has not been eating well. In fact, she approached the plate of rice, but moved away; the rice was dry.
Asked about his parents, he said his mother has passed away, but has a sister.
