It has been a long long time,
almost a month since my last post here. I intended to write an Independence
Day special, but sadly I couldn’t. Not because for the lack of time, but for
the lack of inspiration and other reason being that I couldn’t recollect my
thoughts around. I was puzzled as to what I really wanted to write. I mean we
get this day once every year, and year after year we read the same things- the
struggle for freedom, how Pandit Nehru gave his famous “Tryst with Destiny”
speech on Red Fort, Mahatma Gandhi’s assassination, the story of partition of
India. Some people would write about how despite the shortcomings they still
love India. Maybe some NRI would feature. It’s a routine. I however, wanted
none of that.
Travelling in Delhi Metro every
day is an experience. If you’re not judgemental, can stay calm, and do not
suffer from claustrophobia, you’ll actually enjoy the ride when you observe
other people. Their posture, expressions, how they constantly fidget, or behave
around others. It’s interesting to hear about what they are actually
discussing, makes you aware as to what’s on their mind, thus giving an insight
to a total stranger.
But why did I just make this “Hanuman”
leap from Independence Day to Delhi Metro? Because I had a sudden epiphany,
that today India can somehow be described by Delhi Metro. It’s a symbol I feel
which I can identify with.
For a country whose history actually
pre dates the birth of Jesus, 200 years back from now, is like yesterday, where
a certain sub-section of people were so alienated from society, that if a socially
high ranking person happened to sight them, these people were actually flogged.
A time, where education was only for the elite social class. People were
actually taken as bonded labours, where they had no rights.
We have come a long way since
then.
Now, the very sub-section which
was looked upon (until yesterday), travels not only in the same train, but sits
on the same seat with the “socially high class”. I personally believe that this
is perhaps the single largest achievement that what was preached for a millennium
in the name of religion, in a religiously fanatic nation such as ours, could
make peace with it in mere 60 years.
However, enough of this parading.
I didn’t intend to write this blog entry about how proud I am.
Travelling in metro. Allow me to
return to that, if you will.
Scene-1
Metro stops at a station, everyone
waiting at the station forms a crowd in front of the door to get in as soon
they open. Everyone inside the metro anticipates the crowd’s intentions outside,
and braces themselves to face the enemy. Where am I? I am feeling proud, as I
manage to scavenge a seat for myself. The two teams meet, you hear a lot of
swearing, abuse to one another’s sister, mother. Some “fuck you” in Hindi, sometimes
Marathi and a lot of Punjabi. The women are groped, pregnant ladies are kicked,
and everyone is pushed.
An elderly comes in leaning on a
stick, looks around and sees a young guy smartly dressed with a leather bag,
earphones plugged in, sitting on a seat reserved especially for the senior citizens.
Before, I could actually get up and offer my seat, another elderly who was
sitting on one of the reserved seats (there are two on every bench), beckons
the one we are interested in. I pause myself. He asks the young person to get
up. The person ignores. Another young man, with some notion of conscience,
threatens to call the Delhi Metro police. The person still ignores, but takes
of his earphones. Nothing would make him get up. Finally, I got up and offered
the elderly my seat and walked away to another compartment.
Scene-2
I got to read this about on internet. Please read and share.
An excerpt.
Yesterday on the 1st of
September, at around 7:30 in the evening I was coming back from college I took
a detour from my usual route and boarded the Blue line of the Delhi Metro from
Rajiv Chowk. Being used to this chaos everyday, I was warned by my companion
that we should board the ‘Ladies’ compartment and not the ‘General’
compartment. The sensible arguments I gave were, firstly that it is a ‘general’
compartment and not demarcated for men, so no harm boarding it. Secondly, that
they are humans and not ‘animals’. I lost the argument in the next few minutes.
I had to get off after four or so stations, so it didn’t seem like the decision
was going to cost me heavily. Being surrounded by 50 to 60 heavily sweating men
was a nightmare enough to take for one evening, but it had hardly begun.
Throughout those 10 minutes that I was present there every part of my body was
scanned in an inch by inch detail which made me feel like my sex was a curse
with which I was born. The ordeal had started.
My
station arrived, I shoved my way with great difficulty to make it to the door
before it could close and during this struggle my top was pulled by a man to
expose my breast for a good 15 seconds while at the same time somebody grabbed
my behind. I was paralysed in shock. Nevertheless, I started pushing again and
finally reached the door and stepped onto the platform. I screamed my lungs out
at those 5 to 6 men who were standing at the door. I hurled abuses at them
which ideally no sensible Indian girl should utter even in thoughts, let alone
whisper.
All this led me to thinking as to
what went wrong and where. Why all of a sudden have we as India’s young
generation, the future, have lost all sense of respect and tradition. The very
values that we rooted for are now traded for the trash bag that the West discarded. Whereas the
West now looks towards us delving into our past, which once made us proud.
All of a sudden, I see that
nothing matters to anyone anymore. The life has lost all meaning in the race to
horde cash, and for what? So that they can drive bigger cars, eat in fancier restaurants,
buy even more ridiculously expensive things and flaunt them around?
The guy who didn’t give up his
seat. He wasn’t an idiot. He was smart enough to get a job in some MNC in Nehru
Place, rich enough to have a luxury of an I-pod. And yet, an insensitive prick.
The guys who pulled the top of
the girl in metro, what did they get? A few seconds of view of the glorious
female anatomy, and some kicks while the leered at her and she hurled abuses
at them?
Why?
Are we really free?
