A day out with a modern-day Samaritan and her flock on the 4th of July

Compassionate to the point of being eccentric, Reeta Devi isn't the kind to leave any stone unturned in providing succour to the children of a lesser God

Our car slams to a halt as the owner of the vehicle, a lady sitting calmly next to me all this while, lets out a small scream. The driver jams his brakes. It turns out she spotted a young boy – no more than a child – lugging a massive load of sacks, probably cement-filled, on a cart pulled forward by a pulley. Reeta Devi is indignant at the sight: how can people be so cruel as to allow a mere boy to lug so many kilos of load? You could see his muscles straining from the effort. 

The driver