Moral Short Story with Social Issue – Beauties of Bangalore
Photo credit: taliesin from morguefile.com
The Wheels..
The bike ride in Bangalore is an experience in itself.. Quite an experience especially when you are new to this city.. and Manu is obviously enjoying it. Only that he wanted that helmet off.. Such a boring safety device and no girls can see his face, which he considered worth a look.. Bangalore girls are stylish.. and lot of lipstick.. Hard to find a natural looking face unlike his home town which is..
Anyways.. The present enjoyment is the bike .. And oh well.. no 250 cc or macho sports bike.. We are talking about the 100 cc bike .. which gave a nice pick up with a great speed (it did!!) and he could ease himself through the morning traffic between BTM to Forum Mall to Shantinagar to Richmond circle to Corporation circle Hudson to Palace Road to Shivananda circle..
The 40 minutes ride where he took in the usual dose of carbon monoxide, totally unnecessary honks, few possible eye contacts through the helmet(killing looks!) and a web of thoughts .. weaving itself from one string to another as Manu crosses the signals.. Thanks to sissy, with whom he’s staying, for the regular traffic advises (same everyday).. The first job always doesn’t pay enough to stay alone.. And Manu forced by parents and sissy to stay with her.. Although he wanted to stay with friends.. And brother (Sissy’s husband) is always a role model who is a big shot in a big company.. But he’s cool enough.. and pretty cool that he got his old bike repaired and gave it to Manu.. Bus would have been a less interesting means of transportation..
The Encounter
The corporation circle with the signal time of 120 seconds is the one (like any other) he did not mind waiting, till the day he had the encounter.. he was asked for money from a ‘hijda’ (eunuch) .. A ‘hijda’.. The farthest sight of a ‘hijda’ gave him jitters.. This one almost gave him a nerve shake .. ‘It’ kept her left palm on his shoulders and asked for money, her right palm extending out..in such a manly voice .. Manu, completely nervous shook his head negatively .. second time as she pressed him and asked again.. He shook his head again in negative.. The ‘Hijda’ made a comment in Kannada and walked off to another biker who gave her a coin for which she made a gesture of good fortune..
How he hated that moment and that thing!! Such an embarrassment in the middle of the road.. Didn’t know that these where in Bangalore also.. Had heard (and seen also) they were in Mumbai.. He was thankful that the thing did not make any ugly jesture as they say!! Oh it would have been a disaster.. what would he do? That’s what they say.. If you don’t give money to a ‘hijda’ ‘it’ embarrasses you by lifting the dress up in public.. ‘It’ might attack as well..That’s what they say.. they who? They the mass.. What else do they say? They say that ‘hijdas’ are good omen.. why? It takes away your bad luck and take it on them.. what else? What not? Giving money makes some sense after all.. And he was quite sure these are real men who disguise as ‘hijdas’ for a living.. a way to live..
Corporation circle became a place to be nervous.. avoiding ‘them’ by going to the other side of the road or squeezing bike between cars so that they can’t come in between or speeding before the signal turns red …they get to the road when it is red.. He was asked again.. sometimes he gave whatever coin he had and sometimes he gave the helpless look after searching his shirt pocket and received whatever looks or comments..
And one day he got caught again.. ‘It’ asked for money as usual.. and there was no change.. he shook his head in denial.. and.. ‘it’ smiled and gave an ok gesture and went to the next biker.. and manu was still.. no embarrassment.. why dint ‘it’ gave a complaining or scornful or cursing or compalining looks? No cruel comments.. some how he found this one quite feminine .. but the smile.. was quite beautiful..
Manu drove and corporation circle stopped continuing to be a nervous place as it smiled and he denied and learned to deny other ones also.. well.. He dint have money for this.. but a warm smile in that situation is quite surprisingly pleasant.. And almost everyday.. and days passed..
Beautiful colleague’s good morning smile (artificial or natural) had it’s charm.. but it is an expected one.. a ‘hijda’ giving you a knowing warm smile in the middle of traffic signal everyday is quite a thing if you know how to value things.. Manu was keeping on wondering if it were a actual ‘hijda’.. he too had his homophobias in his teenage.. But to be a ‘hijda’ will be a hell of a life isn’t it?
To be discarded by everyone and to have to beg or being sexually used by sex phsysos to earn the bread .. Worst of the places to be.. there could be unions and reasonable arrangements done for them.. good if they are there.. but those not covered by these set ups.. how will they live?… and for purely not by any fault of theirs.. sympathy or empathy bettered manu as a person that morning to put a 5 rupee coin in his shirt pocket that day to give it to ‘her’.. the beautiful human being who smiled at him every day.. 5 rupees was not much.. but he thought he would do it whenever he could.. Looked forward to meet her at the corporation circle and drove slow to have the signal turn red.. he wondered how she would respond when he give this 5 rupees to her.. she might do that blessing gesture.. but she would be happy as she knows him.. they are not strangers anymore..
And the signal turned red.. He looked and she was not there.. he looked around and no one was there.. none of them.. maybe somebody complained and they were driven away by police.. or it could be because traffic police didn’t get their share.. well what a super way to live for that officer too.. who is the real eunuch? or they would have moved to a much profitable signal.. and every day manu searched for her and never found.. days passed.. ‘Hijdas’ came and went by the corporation signal again.. but she wasn’t there.. even manu moved out from that part of city..
The Human Being
A Black luxury sedan with husband in the driving seat and wife next to him, looked happily married.. when they stopped near a signal in whitefield.. chatting about something suddenly wife spotted ‘hijdas’ collecting money and her expression changed.. there it comes.. what to do? Husband was cool enough to say that ‘hijdas’ don’t eat people.. No.. they make ugly gestures.. they do… have you seen?? No but that’s what they say.. they lift up their dress and embarrass you.. they who? They!!
It is next impossible to have a logical argument with your wife.. and she knocked on the window.. is there any change in the change box? Yeah.. said terrified wife.. but it’s 50 bucks.. He took the money opened the window.. Gave a knowing warm smile and gave the money to her.. and she gave a gesture of blessing and more importantly a smile which had a spark of honor.. the honor of being understood… And the wife doesn’t look convinced.50 bucks???? 2 rupees would have made ‘it’ happy.. He smiled.. Well.. It’s not the money..Something else matters more..
Signal turned green and Manu drove off with his wife reminded of the beautiful ‘hijda’ at corporation circle, her warm smile and the 5 rupees which he could never give her..
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