how caring are we??or rather, how aware???

A very thought provoking incident happened to me in the evening today. I was coming back home from a visit to the temple when I noticed an old lady with wrinkled skin, wearing an old worn out sari and with almost complete white hair, with high power spectacles sitting at the bottom of the temple stairs. She was sitting all alone watching the passersby with a small container in front of her meant for alms. She also had two bananas and some 'prasad' from the temple. Having clearly formed an idea about her, I felt a strong inner urge to go and ask the lady about how she managed to go about life, and so I went to her. She became defensive in an instant and did not want to speak to me at all. She told me to go away and mind my own business, quite literally. She did not want to have any sort of communication at all, at which I felt quite startled. A few passersby were staring at me, seeing a young girl trying to deal with an old lady all alone for whom no one had the time or botheration, let alone care. But I persevered. I asked her about how she managed to procure food(at which she blatantly and quite harshly asked me ''KYA TUM MUJHE KABHI KHANA DENE AATI HO?'' at which I felt utmost guilty), about who took care of her, where was her family, her husband and others. After a little polite coercion, she replied that she was a widow and her only daughter was married in some small town and that she was all alone in Delhi with no shelter.The temple authorities fed her and gave her a place to sleep at night, but that too wasn't everyday as I was able to gather. I was unable to understand her fully well as she was speaking in some local dialect of hers most of the time, interspersed with Hindi. But what I did manage to understand was that she had a tough life with no one to even bother about her. And as a result she had become defensive towards the society at large. Her expresssions showed deep levels of dislike towards regular people whom she sat and watched all day long on that bottom stair of the temple. I wanted to continue to know about her but I was forced to abandon my attempt as she was not willing to go on, sensing that I may possibly want to force her out of that place which she was occupying, maybe by reporting to the police or whatever!!
This incident has left me totally shaken. I, with all the facilities that I have, was stumped by that old lady trying to make ends meet. I, who live in all the comfort of the world, was not even able to think about a way by which she managed a single quarter of her day. It was completely incomprehensible to me. Her manner was so unexpected that I am still in a daze. I don't know what she thought about me, about my behaviour towards her that why should I come just out of the blue and start talking to her. But, irrespective of whatever she thought, it is my belief that we should start questioning. Questioning, not only about others' thoughts, but thoughts of our own to begin with. We must get out of our coccoons and start being more sensitive towards our surroundings which we have claimed it to be our right to be so taken for granted. I am thinking of her right now as I prepare to retire for the night, about where she is going to sleep? Will she have a proper bed?Will she sleep on the street?That too in this never ending sweltering heat with no security to speak of!! How did she manage all this time, all these months? A plethora of doubts and questions start to implode in my mind and I find it hard to digest the whole situation.What are your views on this issue? Please do have your say!!
Peace!!