DISPARTY

One does not have to look too hard for disparity in a big city, this one is right in the middle of Bangkok. This musician, blind and alone, was pacing up and down Gaysorn, home of high end luxury global brands. The contrast may be glaring but not that many seem to notice as passersby just kept walking, without even taking a second look. He was using a terribly outdated Minus-One gadget, playing the orchestral background of an unknown Thai tune while mumbling totally out of key notes.

It was an uncomfortable scene that was sad to watch, after all the excitement on Pratu Nam, the street food, the chicken rice ... all of a sudden my adrenaline charged world was dampened by this single image, by this blatant disparity. I gave him B100 or rather, I put B100 into his harness but he did not seem to notice, staring straight into what must be a terrifying version of total darkness. Questions after questions pop up ... Who is he? Was he born blind? If not how did he lose his sight? Who looks after him? How can he survive begging like this? I have no answers.