I know it’s been a long time since the Republic Day and Independence Day is far away. But I did want to post this on a regular non-teaming-with-patriotic-sentiments day.
I boarded a bus to go to my college one day, it was mostly empty (an unusual thing), and so I chose a comfortable window seat, looking out the window. A few stops later a woman boarded the bus, with a child in her arms, inspite of many empty seats to choose from, she sat beside me. I gave her a smile and resumed my gazing out of the window exercise.
She opened the conversation after a few idle minutes. Asked me where I was going, in return told me the place she was headed to, she asked what I studied, in what year I was and so on. We chatted genially asking a few more general questions to and fro and then she dropped the bomb on me.
“You are a Patel?”
I told her I wasn’t; she was mildly surprised, told me I looked like one. Moments later she asked me again, “So what caste do you belong to?” With respect and the same genial manner I told her that I was a Christian.
She put her baby on her shoulder, grabbed her bag, and without a word got up from my seat and went to sit on another far away seat at the back of the bus. I was numbed with shock. Unable to believe what had happened. After a while I collected my thoughts, chose not to take it too personally and began gazing out of the window again!
The incident shook me to the core. The India about which I studied in a Social Studies class and the India I met in real life where stark opposites of each other.
By reading this incident, I remembered my exam days. This incident happened with me when I had gone to give my board exams of 12th standard, that was on March 2012 . Normally I used have a rosary in my pant or jean always. So on the first day, when the teachers were checking the students totally and now it was my turn to be checked out completely. As they were doing their job sincerely, a teacher found a rosary in my pant and asked me "What it was?" I replied him that it is a rosary which is a holy weapon for Christians. By hearing this he asked me angrily "Are you a Christian?" I replied him that I am a Christian and I used to have a rosary always in my pant. And his question shocked me "Did you bring your answer chits in the rosary?" I replied him shockingly, "No sir, not at all." So they asked me, "Are you sure?" I replied him that I was cent percent sure about it. He told me that if I want to enter the examination hall, I should throw the rosary away. I was terrified by hearing this. I told him that I won't do it. By hearing this, he lost his temper. He snatched away the rosary from my hand and destroyed it in the presence of me. This sight gave me bitter pain in my heart and I had totally lost the confidence to give my exam.
ReplyDeleteThis was one of the terrible experience happened with me.
Oh my God.... Mathew that's terrible, simply terrible... Didn't anyone come to your rescue? You should've reported the incident to higher authorities. I hope this never happens to anyone again...
DeleteYou won't believe it! All teachers including the principal was present their when this drama was going on. I too hope anything never happens with anyone ever again.
DeleteI am really shocked! Let us hope that our online witnessing changes the current situation in India and there is hope for a better future.
DeleteThought provoking post Rujuta..:-)
ReplyDeleteThanks Nagini :)
DeleteAnd thanks for joining. Happy reading :) :) :)
Sad but true!
ReplyDeleteThat's all I can think of saying.
Well Ritvik it really is a sad state of our nation... All I can do is sensetize others about it
Delete