Beauty lies skin deep - Traffic Signal Anecdotes

I guess I could not have found a more appropriate title. This incident occurred on November 8 some where around 1500 hrs at a red light near Punjabi Bagh flyover, Delhi. I am being so particular about the date, time and place simply because somewhere along the line I wish that the woman who has caused this post, stumbles upon this blog somehow and reads the witness account to what she did.

I was driving back to my home town in the middle of the day and stopped at a red light when I noticed a silver WagonR stop right next to me. (I remember the registration number as well, but I guess I shall let it be). The driver was a young lady, who I reckon must be in early 20s. She was dressed nicely and well, I must admit, had striking features. By her side was an equally nice looking girl (I am assuming that they were probably friends) who was swaying her head to the music blaring from the car stereo.

Well no offence to my wife who was sitting next to me, I could not help noticing that both these women were all decked up and were wearing make-up and probably belonged to some well-off family going by the jewellery and apparel. (Well, it also goes on to prove that all men ogle at women around, but then I shall let those details to be a part of some other post)

Being a Saturday, the crossing was not particularly busy and the traffic situation as compared to other days of the week was better. The signal however had its share of regular occupants including little children in rags seeking alms. As a normal practice, these street children approach all those static vehicles on a red light with a piece of cloth and attempt to clean the wind shield of your car and seek a coin or two in return. Often a generous hand would flaunt a note or some full stomach would throw a half eaten sandwich for them to gorge on.

Anyway, it so happened that as soon as the ladies I am talking about, stopped their car on the red light, this child who I guess would be about 7 or 8 years of age came with his rag and began wiping the wind shield of this lady's car. About half a minute later he came around and knocked on the window glass and begged for some money. The lady looked around, waved her hand and ignored, (nothing unusual about it I guess). The child however was persistent and stood his ground.

Then suddenly like a bolt from the sky, the girl at the driver seat opened the car window, leaned forward and hurled the choicest of abuses in a pitch shrill and piercing and continued doing so in a language which I guess can't just put here.

She did not spare any parental lineage and all "MCs and BCs" were thrown at the poor kid who stood transfixed bewildered and probably as shocked as I was in the adjacent car, at the atrocity of the seemingly gentle feminine 'creature' at the wheel.

The child for a moment did not know what to do. He stood open mouthed, surprised that the woman looking "Oh, so royal !!" at the driver seat could mouth such insults and prove to be so 'street like'.

I felt bad at the scene and could do nothing more than being a witness. The light had turned green, cars behind me started honking and the child had withdrawn himself to other end of the road and as for the lady, she whizzed off in a blink.

This incident left me thinking how detrimental our destiny and  the accident of birth is to our life. Had the woman been born on the street and known how it is to go hungry and walk barefoot on the pavement, she probably would have not been so indifferent. It also leads me to feel for the education system in the country about the way engineers and doctors are churned out by thousands every year, yet ethics, morality and values are found amiss in school curriculums.

Co-incidentally the radio in my car played "Woh subah kabhi toh aayegi.." the same moment. <Sigh>