I am not sure if wearing a worn-out jean and cotton gurtha on top is kind of fashion for all young human-right activists. (Older women wear cotton saree). I never know Arudhati Roy and Medha Patkar can be fashion icons too. That’s how she was dressed and talking to a man sitting on a wheel-chair.
I was sitting on the steps of the Town-Hall Bangalore holding a chart written, "Free Binayak Sen" in a rally organized by People's Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL).She has a very attractive smile... to be precise a confident smile!
She was holding a chart in one hand and holding a young girl maybe 4 years old in other hand and shouting “Binayak Sen vidudalae maadi”
After the protest got over by 7 pm, I was walking towards my car in the parking area. I saw her standing in front of my car and whirling the shawl around her neck. Kid was sitting on front bonnet of my car. I approached my car and stood near the car so that she can complete what she was doing.
Kid was asking the question, “Mommy! why people were holding different flags? It’s not our National flag”. The lady smiled and before answering it, she turned back looked at me said, “Sorry! It’s your car?”
“Yep. Its ok”, I replied and started answering kid's question, “people from different organization had come to participate and they were carrying their organization’s flag”
She intervened and said, “Yeah. That’s correct”, facing her child and then turned towards me, “It’s very unfortunate that people want to politicize everything. It could have been avoided”
I said, “At least I am happy that from people from all communities and sections have come forward to register their protest”
“That’s true. But it also had some religious groups which were talking more against the BJP government than actual issue itself. I believe we should seriously fight against religion too...Oh sorry! If I offended you”
You too don’t believe god. Thats nice!
“No issues. I too don’t believe in God either”
“I am not an atheist. You can call me Pantheist”
“Oh... sexed up Atheist huh?”
She smiled and continued, “You belong to that Richard Dawkin's gang huh?”
“Haha! Yes”
By this time the kid was just getting curious to know what’s that we were talking and she was trying to get the attention of her mom.
“Science can only be a guiding factor and cannot be a deciding factor. We can’t do everything our gene says. For instance government cannot take a policy based on science alone. Moreover science cannot answer all our questions”
“I agree with you! Science has told us little, but science is a quest. It will explore and expand more. Even if we know little from science, that’s all we have and we have to depend only on it for anymore questions”
Finally the kid got her mom's attention. Kid was asking, “Mummy we will go to grandma's house”
She was talking kanada to her kid. I believe she explained something to her why she can’t take her to grandma's house.
“Having a kid and attending these kind of events is very difficult”
“Yeah! You could have left her home or with her dad”
“I am a single-mom”, she said with a pass out smile.
Did I hear that? Single-Mom?
“Oh…I am sorry”
“What is there to be sorry about it? I have chosen it myself. Before my love resulted in a marriage, I decided not to go for it and settled with a kid", she said pampering her child.
Oh! This girl is born without marriage. Shut-up...don’t ask such questions to her
She continued, “After all women expects Respect and Freedom. If marriage doesn’t guarantee that, then what’s the point? Particularly in India marriages make woman suffer”
“Hmmm...I can understand your frustration. I too agree that binding two people in the name of marriage for life is too much. But as an institution marriage is fairly successful for years and I don’t know what could be the alternative”
“Maybe...”, after a pause looking away she said, “I was not eligible for it”
I was silent for a moment. Don’t know really what to say.
Life is not fair to everyone...how such a woman is allowed to suffer...maybe that’s what makes her different from others
Breaking the silence I said, “Maybe our society needs more time to understand it”
“It’s not about time. We are one of the oldest civilizations in the world. If time is the factor, we should have grown in every sense by this time. There is something fundamentally wrong with our system and culture. Unfortunately we haven't really tried to change it for long”
Yes. She has a point. Why we haven’t changed for so long? What’s special about our culture? Really we haven’t progressed in many ways.
She continued, “Now by looking at other countries and scientific developments we started learning. That is also being held back by right-wing extremists in the name Nationalism. Their lowest common denominator is Religion"
“Yes. In the name of nationalism they deny free speech. Anyone who talks against the State were called anti-nationals or seditionist”
“Exactly! If this can happen for Binayak, I don’t know how many innocents are suffering in jail. As Arundati Roy says this is not democracy, it’s 'Demon-Crazy'”
Now the little girl lost her patience and started screaming to her mom to take her home. The lady said something in kanada to her daughter and lifted her from my car.
“She is not going to stop till I take her home. Sorry I have to go! Nice meeting you”
“It was pleasure meeting you! Have a wonderful evening”
“You too... Bye!". She started walking away carrying her kid.
She made it impossible for me not to look her again.
