Draupadi and Moon

The phrase 'chaand sa chehra' meaning  'a face like the moon', appears pleasant to most of the people. They compare the glow of human skin with the bright and beautiful looking white moon. But for me, it is the opposite. Moon is not white.

I know that moon has patches, and I know that you know that too. This gives birth to another phrase 'chaand mein daagh hai'. But I am not talking about that. I am actually talking about the color of moon.

The real color of surface of moon is almost black. I found it hard to digest first time, but all the sources I have ever read say that it is close to the color of burnt wood, ash or coal. It appears bright white to the we, the intelligent life forms on earth because of immense reflection of sunlight. Moreover, it's light isn't cool. Light has no temperature. It is mostly the IR that heats objects, and I strongly believe that moon also contributes in shooting some of solar IR radiations back to earth.

So, when I think of moon, the only face I can compare it with is that of Draupadi. Yes! The wife of Pandavas, and the chief female protagonist of Mahabharat. Many people don't know that true skin color of Drauapadi was black, or more like dusky. A real dark dusky. But people want to imagine her as the ultra light toned complexion lady, after whom the story revolves. She was beautiful indeed, yet dark in skin color.

So, the Moon (with capital 'M') and Draupadi have so much in common. Both  beautiful, both black, and people incorrectly believe that both are fair in color.

So next time you talk of Rihanna, you can aptly say she has a beautiful 'chand sa chehra'.

A dialogue with sadhu baba

Baba was sitting on the dry sand, with a puppy. The puppy was crippled with a leg. I was standing next to them with my backpack waiting for someone to receive me.

He: My puppy is hungry. Give me ₹5 so that I can feed him.

Me: How do you manage to survive your own life?

He: Worse than even a prisoner

Me: Why so?

He: I don't even get to eat many times.

Me: Do you have to sleep hungry any day?

He: Many times every month. Sometimes even two days pass without eating anything.

Me: Then why choose such a path?

He: It has been long time since I left home. Now nothing can be done?

Me: How long?

He: 15 years have passed.

Me: And what was your age when you left?

He: I was 30 then.

Me: Did you have family?

He: I was married. I had two children, both boys. One was in 7th class and other was in 9th.

Me: Then why did you leave?

He: I was a  scrap and junk picker. I used to drink. My wife did not like it. She used to beat me whenever I come home drunk, which was almost always.

Me: And do you get to drink now? (with a smirk)

He: I beg in the whole town. By the end of the day, I make around  ₹100, and sometimes even ₹200. Then I can drink any brand I want.

Me: And you said, sometimes you have to sleep hungry?

He: Every day is not same. A good beg comes once in a blue moon. Mostly I get around 80-100 Rs. a day.

Me: Do you think you made a mistake leaving home?

He: Of course. I regret all the time. But what can be done?

Me: Won't your kids take care of you? You can go back, and apologise.

He: They will not even let me enter the house. They won't behave as my kids anymore. They are the mother's.

Me: Why stay in this hot region of India? Why not leave for Haridwar. You might earn more there.

He: You think so. But I have been to all parts of India. I earn more here. There, other baba are well established. They have the market.

Me: And why not go to metro city. Here in this small village must be difficult to live.

He: In many cities, beggary is crime. I tried in Delhi, Ajmer, Kanpur etc. No place makes survival easier, except where your mother tongue helps. People here think I am 'Baba' by choice and wisdom.  Only I know I did a mistake.

Me: Good luck. My car has come.
(And I left)

138

I was travelling from Bhiwani to Jatusana for an audit tour. Train was almost empty and I was alone in my berth. I was looking outside the window, and as I turned my neck back, I found a drunken man sitting on seat in front of me. He had some potato-mesh curry and some 'poori' in a use-and-throw pans. He had spilled most of it it on the seat which left the seat unusable. Not eating more than a single morsel, he threw the rest of it through open door, with his shaky legs and came back sitting on a clean seat. I asked him to clean that seat he ruined. He didn't reply in words. Instead he started making strange gestures. I believe that neither he was with ticket, nor he bought that food with his own money. It must have been given to him by some vendor in sympathy. I again asked him to clean it and again received the same reaction of weird gestures.

Could I clean it for him? Yes.

Should I clean for him? May be! After all it is railway property, which eventually belongs to us. And there seems no shame.

Did I? No. Because I was all dressed up for my duty with washed clothes, and I had no such cloth or newspaper which could be used to clean. So, I was incapable to do the task owing to lack of resources, even if I wished to. "I can't clean it with my shirt" I said to myself.

Then I thought of calling railway helpline. Are they of any use? Well it is time to see. I took out the ticket. It says "Passenger helpline no. 138".  I called 138, and IVR said " This number can not be reached right now. Please call again later". I tried 3-4 times but all in vain.

Some time later, that man was gone. Later Ticket Checker came and asked for my ticket. After taking my ticket back, I said "Sir, call to 138 doesn't go through".

TC: Why do you need to call 138, sir?
Me: A drunk man made this mess (pointing to the curry-spilled seat).

Meanwhile another TC came in. They both sat on clean seats.

TC 2: It's not 138. It is 139.
Me: But the ticket says 138 (Handing over the ticket back to him)

He looked at it and returned.
TC 2: Oh yes! 139 is for enquiry.
TC 1: Ignore it sir, what could we do to a drunkard? You are an educated man. Even if Police were to come, they would just drag him out of the coach. Nothing much could be done.

Then they left.

After that, at every station, people kept entering the train, looking at that seat, starting to blame and guessing, and moving to next seats. " Koye besahoori khinda gi" (some ill-mannered woman spilled it)

And only I know the whole story in the entire coach.