SHARP CONTRAST…

The light refused to change colour. Oh how I loathed the very sight of that bright red hue that seemed completely ominous to me at that point. Yes I’m a little prejudiced about certain things, some of which I have to admit are my own creations. But at that very moment reason chose to escape me and thus I promptly looked away from the box providing the three different coloured lights their sanctuary. All I did was wait for the traffic light to change to green. The crossing at Exide was very busy that day. Bikes tried to overtake the stagnant cars and buses while drivers of the later stagnant vehicles busied themselves in honking furiously. The whole area was engulfed in smoke and finally after coughing for a steady 5 minutes I decided to roll up the window pane of my cabbie. While I was busy blaming the driver for not taking a different route my eyes caught a scene that is customary to any traffic. A little girl was carrying a big rough slab of wood on which was displayed many hair accessories. This slab was tied around her neck in a necklace kind of a fashion. She was walking bare foot from one car to the other. Though I was glad that I had rolled up my glass and would be saved from the whole nagging procedure I felt a little bad for her. The sun was in a mood to show off that day and the girl was too little and the thing round her neck looked too heavy for her to carry around. She kept on knocking on the glass panes and as expected people kept on ignoring her. My cell phone buzzed and I looked away. I was going to the Shantiniketan Building in Camac Street that day. It was my first day as an intern in the Mirchi office. I was both scared and excited in the same breath. I picked up my phone from the seat and the traffic moved a little. Relieved I looked up and saw that the cops were furiously trying to get the traffic in control. The little girl came and stood infront of my window. She knocked on the window and I could not look away. She was barely seven years old. Her hair was rough with dirt and her clothes were torn in places. Her innocent face was smeared with grime. Though she looked exhausted she dragged herself along with that dead weight beside the front window. The driver was just about to send her away when she started speaking in broken English. Smartly she asked me to buy some clips from her as she needed money to buy herself a pair of school shoes. Although I was aware of the fact that the child must have been lying there was something about that little sturdy face. As she kept on requesting in her broken dialect my phone rang again, this time it was from office. Before I could take it the little girl stopped in her attempt to speak English and hung her head. She looked massively lost. But then in a frantic rush she informed me that her name was Mala and that she wanted to eat as she was very hungry. She also wanted to go to school. I felt a little bubble forming in my throat as I realized how different my life had been. I took out money and offered it to her but she pressed me to buy something. So I did buy a clip and offered to buy her food. Her sad little face immediately lit up--   brighter than that ominous red light. She said she wanted to have paratha and needed ten rupees for that. As soon as I gave it I saw her dragging herself to a nearby paratha wala. That is when I heard my phone ring again, office again. Thankfully the traffic was beginning to clear, and my cab was moving again. I reached in no time and found my new friends outside. All of us entered together. The pleasantly cool air of the air conditioner, the soft feel of the carpet, the plush arm chairs, the cool drink that was offered… I couldn’t ask for anything more at that point. However enjoying all this made me a little guilty inside as I remembered Mala.  Though I have never seen her again I hope she goes to school someday.