Interesting personalities I have encountered: Part-4- Uncolored racism

…With these thoughts reverberating in my mind, I heard a sound that created a stir in my stomach…

…I believe every passenger who commutes in suburban train would be aware of that sound. It’s a clapping sound mixed with clanging of glass bangles. This particular sound in train indicates the arrival of transgender. They come asking for money. And they will not get anything less than 5 Rs. Sometimes they make vulgar gestures, and behave in embarrassing manners also.  I get severely uncomfortable and nervous, when they enter into the compartment I am travelling in.. Sometimes in the past, I have given away money just to get rid of them.

But that day, after encountering last two personalities, I was determined not to give them any money. If that visually challenged old man and the lady can make ends meet in their life, in an honorable way, why can’t these people make it? Also, they don’t even tell, “Please”. They ask money with authority.

By this time, she came near me. I grew nervous. I tried not to look at her in eyes.  I was adjusting my sitting position many times, and grew uncomfortable. She clapped in front of my face. I shook my head vigorously looking down at the floor, still not looking at her. She gently patted on my cheeks and went away. After making sure she’s not around, I lifted my head up. I got calmed down slowly, and had a sense of relief of escaping from something.

I saw her standing near the door. I thought, why should they do like this? They are healthy, why can’t they do some work for earning? The frontal lobe of my cerebral cortex asked me a question in turn, “Will you or your parents would be interested in having a transgender as your housemaid or recommend them for any work?” The question gave me answer for all my questions.

We are responsible for what they are. They are victims of an ‘uncolored racism’. And we are the one to take the blame. We never treated them as a fellow human, but as untouchables.  We never gave them a chance to live, to study, to work, to survive.  Then how can we expect them to earn money, and live a decent life?  I just tried to remember all the application forms, where I ticked ‘M’ in gender space, none had a space for transgender.

And it occurred to me that, there’s no wrong in them for taking money with authority. It is a penalty for whatever we did to them and still doing to them. We are liable to them for spoiling and still spoiling their lives. We are bound to give them money, until we give them a chance to live a honest and honorable life.

Honestly, amidst all this social hatred, mockery, invalidation and humility, thrown towards them, each and every transgender are indeed great personalities, as it should take Impeccable courage, determination and perseverance to live among creepy creatures like us humans.

P.S: A day before writing down this article, I met another transgender in her 40s, in market.  But this time I didn't shy away, even as she came near me. Because now I understood that she too has feelings. Surprisingly she talked to me in excellent English, “What are you doing kid?” I answered looking at her eyes, “M. Des”. She questioned back, "Means?", I replied, "Master of Design". She looked at me and understood that, I am struggling to buy things, as the shop was crowded.

In a bold voice, she ordered the shopkeeper, “Ask what this kid wants, and give it to him”. Surprisingly I got immediate attention. She looked at me, like am a small kid and said with kindness, “Get what you want and go home soon”. 

Next she talked in Tamil to my friend standing next to me, “Nee enna panra” (What are you doing). My friend replied “Am Telugu”.  And immediately she started conversing fluently with him in Telugu. She spoke to them with a charm. I lived in a cosmopolitan environment for over a year, didn't learnt more than a bunch of words from other languages. I don't know how many more languages she  knew, but the ease with which she spoke English, Tamil, and Telugu, made me to have a respect on her.  

 I felt ashamed for misunderstanding them all through my life.

END NOTE

The three different people, whom I came across in this train journey, gave me a new definition for greatness and survival. Bear Grylls surviving in a remote forest populated by animals and poisonous creatures, is not real survival. But these individuals surviving in an ordinary world populated by a species called Homo sapiens, is real survival.  

“A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persist and endure inspite of obstacles ”- Christopher Reeve

Interesting personalities I have encountered: Part-3

…He got down after two stops from the station he boarded, and got in the next compartment. I tried to keep looking at him until he went out of sight, but my view was blocked by a woman in her late 40s getting inside the train with a big baggage. As a decent citizen, I inquisitively looked into the bag. She caught me seeing it and walked slowly near me…

…And then she took a pack of pen from the bag, and started selling it. “5 pens 10 Rs…5 pens 10 Rs…” When she came near me, I hesitantly shook my head and looked the other side, out of the window. She moved on concentrating on her business.  After she moved away a comfortable distance from me, I looked into her face. I saw a wave of tiredness, and the pride of honesty in her face.

                And I thought, ‘Wait! What’s there for her to feel proud about? She’s living the most undesirable life of all’. She’s selling pens in suburban trains, fighting for her survival. I ran the thoughts again in my mind,’ most undesirable life of all’, and questioned myself, “What decides the quality of a life?”

                Drowning in thoughts, trying to find out the answer for my question, I got back into reality by the fluttering sound of the newspaper, read by a person sitting next to me.  ‘Indian’ly I slowly peeped into the paper.  There was photo of some famous politician who was being taken to jail for running some big scam. After a few pages, there was news about a multi- millionaire, who went bankrupt due to his fraudulent activities in the past, and approaching the court next day.  I thought what these guys would be doing that night. Can they sleep peacefully? Would they have slept peacefully in the past?

By the time, this lady came back after finishing her rounds in the compartment.  Her face was still tiered, little down, but still it carried hope and pride. By now, I know she has all the reasons for being proud. An honest day labor and a good night sleep. While the politician and millionaire, who seem to live a quality life, will be spending sleepless night thinking about the next day, this lady will be spending her night, cooking and dining along with her children. She’s a better citizen than most of the citizens who cheats and fools around in decent clothes, who hides scams in their shirt sleeves and corruption in white collars.

She sat near the train door, for some rest until the next station comes. I went to her and bought two packets of pen. She saw me in little surprise. So did the people around me.  But they didn’t understand the fact that, this money will actually feed or educate a needy child.

As she went off the compartment in the next stop, I got back with my thoughts. I was ashamed how bad my understanding of people was. I thanked the lady, and the old man for making me understand that, honesty, courage and humbleness, are the qualities that make people really great. Greater than the greatest personalities I have studied in books and magazines.

We walk looking up at the heaven, believing it will rain gold, unaware of the fact that we are walking on mountains of gold.

With these thoughts reverberating in my mind, I heard a sound that created a stir in my stomach…

To be continued...