Shubha gasped for breath as she broomed the floor of the Iyer household. Heavy work coupled with inadequate diet had led to her failing health. The Iyers who paid her the highest salary among the five employers were famous for mistreating people of her class.
Shubha looked at Mrs. Iyer offering sweets to the deities. Shubha felt her stomach crying out for some food. Her alcoholic husband had run away with all her savings last night. She had barely managed to feed the kids and had to sleep without a morsel of food.
Photo courtesy – Yinglan
In another corner of the house, Iyer’s toddler son was emulating his mother’s actions. The deities had been replaced by his favorite toy called poochie – a dog made out of clay. The little one placed poochie on top of his favorite donut urging it to eat.
“Please let me be born as a toy dog in my next birth. In our world, an inanimate object gets better treatment than people like me,” she spoke to her God with tears in her eyes.
An alumnus of Presidency College (Kolkata), Delhi University, and XIME (Bangalore), Sonia Chatterjee holds two post-graduate degrees in Chemistry and Management and an MFA in creative writing from Writer's Village University. With eight years of experience in the banking sector as a Branch Head, she took a sabbatical from the corporate world to start her blog soniasmusings.com. Her blog consistently featured in the Top Indian Blogs list from 2019 to 2024.
Her articles have been published on various digital platforms such as Women's Web, Youth Ki Awaaz, Tuck's Magazine, and Period Magazine. She was invited as a speaker at the Breaking Barriers, Kolkata 2018 event by the Women's Web, at the Women Writer’s Fest, Kolkata, 2020, and the Crime Writers Festival, Kolkata,2025.
Sonia has written two detective thrillers titled ‘Deal of Death – Introducing Raya Ray’ (2019) and ‘Diary, Deceit, and Death – A Raya Ray Adventure’ (Vishwakarma Publications, 2024) and a non-fiction book on true crime titled ‘The Sanyasi Who Became a King’ (Sristhi Publishers, 2025). Her book ‘Diary, Deceit, and Death’ was shortlisted for the PVLF Awards 2024-25 in the Best Fiction Category.
Sonia lives in Kolkata with her doctor husband and nine-and-a-half-year-old son.
View all posts by Sonia Chatterjee
27 thoughts on “The value of human life in the society”
That’s heartbreaking, deities and toys being treated with food which they never have use of while starving humans are forced to carry on their work with no morsel of food! Powerful story, Sonia!
What a shame. Poverty and hunger….. But even if you aren’t hungry, you would find it hard to see a toy being fed…of course some mom’s would find that cute.
Unfortunately that’s still such a harsh reality in our society. Inanimate objects gain more importance as compared to a human life. Thanks for reading.
Hi Sonia. This post is based on a very deep topic of our society. It really saddens me to see the inequality that is rampant around us. What is the use of the worship that does not incite empathy within us?
soniasmusings 
This a powerful story. Poverty is a scourge,
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you for reading.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m glad that you think it is a powerful story.
LikeLike
Just brilliant
LikeLiked by 1 person
U have wonderfully penned down the feeling of haves and havenots in south of 200 words! gr8.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you for reading.
LikeLiked by 1 person
A beautiful story. How badly we treat people that work in our home.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Unfortunately that’s the harsh reality in many houses even today. Thanks for reading.
LikeLike
Lovely fiction Sonia . You are a born writer
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you Monika. You’re too kind.
LikeLike
Lucky dog. 🙂
LikeLike
As a society there are many examples of our priorities being wrong – the way wealth is spread is a prime example. Nice one.
LikeLiked by 1 person
You are so right. Thanks for reading.
LikeLiked by 1 person
That is so sad. Poverty is sad. I’m glad she was able to feed her kids, at least. Great story!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Very true. The society can be so harsh at times. Thanks for reading
LikeLiked by 1 person
this is so sad that how people turn blind eye to the fellow person’s hunger. Nice flash fiction Sonia.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Very true. Thanks for reading and sharing your thoughts.
LikeLike
That’s heartbreaking, deities and toys being treated with food which they never have use of while starving humans are forced to carry on their work with no morsel of food! Powerful story, Sonia!
LikeLiked by 1 person
The harsh discrimination by the society. Thanks for reading and sharing your thoughts.
LikeLiked by 1 person
What a shame. Poverty and hunger….. But even if you aren’t hungry, you would find it hard to see a toy being fed…of course some mom’s would find that cute.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Unfortunately that’s still such a harsh reality in our society. Inanimate objects gain more importance as compared to a human life. Thanks for reading.
LikeLike
Oh my!! 😦
So very well written! Lovely narration! 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you for reading. Glad you liked it.
LikeLiked by 1 person
My pleasure, Sonia! 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
That’s quite sad and a good depiction of how people with too much money sometimes don’t know how to use their money.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Very true. I wish we valued people for their nature instead of discriminating them based on financial status. Thanks for reading.
LikeLike
Hi Sonia. This post is based on a very deep topic of our society. It really saddens me to see the inequality that is rampant around us. What is the use of the worship that does not incite empathy within us?
LikeLike