People say the ten rupee note has lost its value. You won’t
even get a vada pav in ten rupees anymore. Well, they even say that if you want
to drive a car on the roads, you need to have a hundred rupee note kept with
your license, just in case.
I hate the Amar Mahal traffic jams. Even those signals have
some kind of animosity towards me. A highway going straight above a flyover,
and a road going below it leading to another bridge, and don’t forget the traffic
signals everywhere. Why did they have to make it so confusing?! It took me
almost one month to get used to those roads and those signals. It never
happened that I went straight through those signals without getting a red
light. Sometimes I feel like those red lights are mocking me, they stay there
as long as they can just to annoy me. And the feeling when I pass through that
road junction of hell is bliss! It’s like I belong to the other side of the
road and never want to go back.
I always take the highway while coming home from Mankhurd
side so I can avoid the endless traffic on Chembur-Amar Mahal flyover. But
anyways, all the roads lead me to the infamous Amar Mahal junction. I don’t
know from where those many vehicles come from and I think they all just come
there at the same time, just when I am there, cursing the red lights.
Today was no exception; long before I took the detour from
the highway I saw the damned red lights from hell. It had been raining very
heavily since the afternoon and all the window glass was covered with a layer
of water drops. And the constant drizzle added new installments every second.
The rear window had become more like a butter paper by now, all I could see was
the headlights of the cars or trucks behind me. I got in the long unorganized
queue of vehicles whose drivers were probably cursing the signals and traffic
too. I was ready to get through the signal once it turns green, slowly slowly I
left the clutch and the car would moved forward, I was pretty far away from the
signal. I don’t know why I thought I would get through before it turns red again;
those signals turn green for a few milliseconds and turn back red again, just
to mock me. Yeah, they are that evil! Even the car in front of me couldn't get
through. I pity him; all he wanted was to get to the other side, like me.
I waited for the signal to turn green again, checking the
mirrors and cell phone, no calls yet, good, I am not late today. I looked up to
count the cars in front of me, to see if I could get through this time. It was
then that I saw a young man walking into the cluster of cars with a piece of cloth.
He looked a bit older than me maybe around twenty-five; or maybe more. He went to the car leading the
long line. And cleaned the mirrors, and wiped out all the water from its
windshield and asked the driver for some money. Well, at least he is trying to
do something to earn, I thought to myself. A hand came out of that cars window
and gave him a few coins. He came to the next car, and got to his wiping. Maybe
the owner didn't like the idea of getting his car wiped from a dirty homeless
guy, he shook his head and shooed him away. The poor guy quietly moved to
the next car, as if nothing happened.
The light is still red. I looked into the rear view mirror
and all I could see was two yellow orange spots or the light from the car
behind me. I looked down and the man with the cloth was now cleaning my
windshield. He put the cloth on the glass and wiped it and the glass wipers
swiped over the windshield. Startled the guy took of his hand. I reached for my
wallet and all I could find was a Ten rupee note. Is it worth to give this guy ten rupees? Other gave him few coins, maybe I should do the same, and anyways
these people earn a lot, a few coins here and there and it sums up to a lot of
money. Or maybe I can get him wipe the rear glass, I can hardly see anything.
I looked up and the signal was still burning red and showed
no intention of turning green. I stretched my hand out of the window and gave
him the 10 rupee note and asked ‘piche
wala kaanch saaf karega?’ He took the note with his two trembling hands,
looked at my face, and said with a little stammering ‘Ha... Haan... Jaroor sahab... Abhi karta hu.’ And rushed towards the rear windshield and wiped all the water
off. I looked up again for the signal, everyone was honking, and maybe it was
time the signal finally turned green. I took my hand out of the window to let
him know he can stop. He stopped and came right back to my window and looked
into my eyes. I had a good look at him now. His hair were all messy and cloths
a bit decent for a homeless guy. His eyes were moist, maybe because of all the
car exhaust and rains. He looked into my eyes and had a good look at my face. A
mild but genuine smile appeared across his face; he put both his hands up and
said ‘Aap... Aap...’ I was not quite
sure what he wanted to say. I thought he was asking for more money. How much
more can I give?! People give one or two rupees and I gave him a ten rupee
note! Why is he asking for more?!
And before I could say anything, he spoke again ‘Aapka bhagwaan bhala karein! Bhagwaan aapko har musibat se bachayeien!’
I was left speechless. The signal finally turned green and
the cars started honking again, I left the clutch and car slowly moved forward.
I looked through the side view mirrors; the guy was putting the note carefully
in a torn plastic cover he pulled from his shabby pants. He was keeping the
note in the pocket more carefully than I was driving. I don’t think it was only
the money which made him say that, it was the acceptance from someone. A man
who is tossed from the windshield of one car to another, whose food comes from
the red lights of the signals, the man whose is only treated as some other
homeless animal; somebody had talked to him today. He felt like a man for that
few seconds when the lights turned green. He stood beside the road watching all
the cars go by. Maybe he was thinking of what he will eat today. Or maybe he
was just thinking when the signal turns red again so he could earn some more
coins.
Whatever he was thinking, now I hate you a less Amar Mahal Signals!
Photograph by Vinit Naik; Well, that's not the signal I was talking about.
Photographed at Maheshwari Udhyan, Matunga, Mumbai.
