Wednesday, August 20, 2008

At the traffic signal

"Sanjay vaani.....Sanjay vaani......." I heard a distant call probably of a teen-age boy, the call louder as the boy passed by the auto rickshaw I was commuting in. He looked tired after being out on the road all day and was looking to make some money.
It was a typical monsoon day, skies were dark, way dark for a 5 PM. It was drizzling, the rain could pour down heavy any moment. The boy, restless to sell off few of the last pieces of evening paper he had with him. Not a good day to sell newspaper.
I was looking out of the rickshaw I had hired, I wanted to reach the nearest bus depot and take shelter in a bus before it starts pouring. It was at a traffic junction, one among the numerous traffic signals....men and women riding motor cycles, mopeds hurrying up to avoid getting wet in rains; snugged in their over-sized jackets and coats, shielding their handbags from rain drops spluttering......distant thunder adding a rhythm to the impatient honks of drivers....The traffic signal seemed too long, rain aggravating to already existing traffic woes. No one seems to pay attention to the call of this poor newspaper seller. A motor-cycle rider meanwhile quickly took out his cell-phone and was checking for any important missed calls.
A cab driver tuning to a different FM radio channel; obviously irritated by the never-ending chatters of the RJ......another driver cozy in a luxury sedan lighting up a smoke........most of them looking at passers-by rushing to take shelter from the rain....the auto rickshaw driver moving forward feet by feet closer to the zebra crossing and finally stopped on the zebra crossing making it difficult for the pedestrians to cross the road........a couple of frail-looking kids dressed in rags...sitting under a ragged shelter...they are beggars who perform acrobatics on the road at traffic junctions and beg for money....I come across such kids everyday....obliging to their "Didi...do rupiya dedo...didi do rupiya dedo". They deserve good life, home, food, shelter, education....they don't have any of these.
the traffic light turned yellow...no one was ready to wait for it to turn green...vroooom went the motor cycles...the autos...the buses..the cars.........And the newspaper vendor and the poor girls? Well its another traffic signal for them......

3 comments:

  1. karwan chalata raha, bekhabar
    jam se takarate rahe jam
    negahein bhi, thi madmast kahi
    par kisi kone mien, zindagi ke
    un aankho se, tapakati rahi bebasi!!

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  2. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  3. superb!!!!!

    You told in just 5 lines what I wanted to tell in this entire post!!

    Life goes on :-)
    Thanks Makk

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