“Annu… wake up…wake
up. It is 6 o’clock, dear.” My eyes saw
the day-light following mother’s wake up call.
It was chilling outside and to think of leaving bed was the most
unfortunate task for me. For any delay
in leaving bed I would fail my bus as I would be taking time to prepare
myself. When the thought of bus struck
my mind, I could not but threw the rug and straight away began preparing
myself. In chilling winter the most
unfortunate and hated task happens to be leaving the soft and hot embrace of
rug and bed. My brother and my sister
Ginni were sleeping as I was burning in sheer jealousy. My brother was a sleepoholic and if he had
not to attend office at 10 am, he would sleep past noon!
When I was yet to get
any employment, I would think, what a memorable day it would be to get a job! But when I got one, I got a chance to know all
those parallel problems running along with a job. Initially, I would go to the college with
uncontrolled enthusiasm. But now
thinking on the job, I would feel thorns pinching my body.
Anyhow, I finished my
breakfast and sped to the bus stop. The
bus was yet to arrive. There was a big
tamarind tree beside the bus stop under which all bus-users and service men
performing duty from home would wait for the bus. But I would feel somewhat awkward standing
there. My time would go in seeing my
watch or changing my bag from right to left hand and reverse.
Hardly did two minutes
passed in the meanwhile after my arrival at the bus stop, when a boy riding a
bicycle came rushing towards me. He
negotiated close to me and forced me to flinch back a step or two. Had I not stepped back I thought he would
have banged onto me. Seeing me stepping
back some three or four boys standing at a little distance were jeering and
laughing. In anger and helplessness, I
could not but kept mum digesting the shamefulness.
Today, boys have become
so immodest and wicked that words fail me to say something about them. Certainly, I think the wind has become wicked
and whomever it touches, it seems a pair of wings comes up to his back.
Bus came in the
meanwhile. A swarm of bus-users was seen
rushing towards the bus. Somehow I
became a part of the rushing crowd. I
boarded the bus anyhow. Obviously, there
were no rooms left as I was boarding midway.
I had to stand on the isle. An
aged gentleman was standing in front of me.
And I thought it suitable to adjust myself there only. With a sudden jerk the bus started. The timing of the bus was so suitably
arranged that a majority of boys and girls studying in the Science College
would catch that bus. When the driver
would apply break to the bus everyone would feel imbalanced. Boys standing behind would seize the
opportunity to balance the unbalancing girls by extending their hands. And those standing in front would feel
fortunate to get the same opportunity as a dole.
The driver it seemed
was bribed to apply such sudden breaks in regular intervals. I felt a touch of a hand on my hand griping
the railing and I saw it was of that aged gentleman standing behind. He was conversing with another one of his elk
standing behind. I thought his hand
movement was spontaneous and involuntary and I adjusted away from his griping
hand. After two minutes, I found my hand
feeling similar griping. Cocking back I
found him as usual busy in conversation.
I tried to snatch my hand but now the grip was somewhat tighter. This time, I was shown a pair of fearful and
bulgy eyes. I snatched my hand despite
knowing the fact that I would feel imbalanced doing so. I didn’t want to be the cynosure of the
people on board by starting a brawl with the so called (Un) gentleman. It is but a tragedy of girls that the male
people would tease them and if any girl would protest, she would face such
unbearable consequences.
But I was surprised
with the behavior of that so called gentleman.
He must have been around fifty years.
Then I thought I was incorrect initially to pass a judgment on the grown
up boys. Adolescent is such an age that
makes one somewhat wicked as new and new age related wings come up. But I had nothing to tell on this aged fellow
who was behaving like an adolescent. Can
they send their growing girls like me alone with this trait of behavior in
them? Can they repose faith on person of his age about the safety of their
daughters? It is but an irony that there is no dearth of such (un)gentlemen who
always strangulate the courage of the girls.
I was a disciplined
lecturer of my college but inside the bus I was like a docile and innocent
girl. This double personality in me
would surprise me coming out of the bus.
Perhaps after age I would emancipate myself from this double personality
after some more years or experience.
There was no let up in
the wickedness of that old man. He was
continuously rubbing shoulder with that of mine. On the other hand, my hand was also itching
to slap him hard. The bus was so over-crowded
that I was not able to move an inch inside.
To my happiness a lady passenger called me towards her as room was
available there. Thank God, the old
man was spared as I was about to imprint my palm on one of his cheeks.
My stoppage approached
near. When the bus stopped, holding my bag I came near the gate. There was clear imprint of my face in the
faces of the boys sitting in front. Stopped to the isle I alighted from the
bus. I was feeling relaxed and relieved alighting from the bus. Just strolling two steps I heard someone
singing, “Age seventeen, tresses long and umpteen,” Then it struck my mind that
for fear of delay I had left my braid unbridled. My hand mechanically thought to bridle my
braid but then I became a bit rebellious.
Why not, I thought and left it as usual against the wicket wind and
declared a war against the wicket wind.
This
is a translated short story originally written in Hindi by one of my online
friends Vandana
Awasthi Dubey who has got multiple blogs with following Titles:
Kissa Kahani
Apni
Baat
The
original story written and posted in her blog can be found following the link
below. http://wwwvandanaadubey.blogspot.com/2009/05/blog-post.html
She is a
prolific word artist who weaves beautiful and meaningful wreaths for her admirers
to read and enrich.
