Prejudice and its Pitfall

Though prejudice is and most unpardonable bane we continue to endorse it, often to find ourselves proved wrong.

Am myself an anti-prejudice flag bearer or so I thought until…

…my beloved car met with an accident, all due to the stupid mistake of a white monster-car on my left. In an attempt to avoid collision from the fast swallowing mouth I swiveled my car toward right only to bang onto a divider, and by the time I could figure out what happened, the monster escaped unscathed.

As I took stock of the damage, fumes from the tyre & heat from the closing crowd left me dizzy. Something was wrong by the look of their expressions & than I saw him.

The biker was pointing finger at me & garnering the undeserved sympathy, but wait a minute what was going on? I was utterly confused.

My safety antenna went up & in no second I locked myself in the car.

The car started but wont budge…oh *%#$, of course the busted tyre, I was stuck & could no longer ignore the biker, who stood at my car window, peering down at me & mouthing stupidity. I say stupidity because apparently he was under the delusion of being struck by my car & wanted compensation.

“Whoa, whoa, it’s my car which has got damaged, where did you & your bike come from”, I demanded.

“It got damaged when you suddenly decided to turn right, (pause) madam!” I didn’t like the tone in which he added madam in the end.

I eyed the bike & his arm, just a minuscule scratch, on both prized possessions of the opportunist. I gave him an evil stare & looked at the thinning crowd, someone had called the police & they were ordering them to get back to their own business.

As the officer approached, his grin turned to groan and he sat down on the pavement crying. My heart-beat reached a crescendo, the police & an opportunist, perfect combo.

He swaggered towards us & listened to the biker’s tale, I flicked down my window just enough to let his voice trail in. Tale it was, alright. The officer asked my side of the events & stood thoughtfully.

Look, you’ll have to pay him something; it’s best to close the case here than to carry it forward, amicable conciliation is what he called it.

Okay, how much? (My mind was doing a quick calculation of the cash in my wallet. God knew how much I’ll be swamped off)

100Rs he said & I looked at him with disbelief.

“How much for you, sir” I said. (Now he’ll tell me the real deal, I was sure)

He ignored my last sentence & asked me to give just the 100Rs. He took the biker aside & handed him the money who zipped off after some protestation.

Call a mechanic & go home, he told me to which I asked him again lest he had not heard me before. He gave me a long sad look & said, not all police people are same madam.

With that, he was gone…so was my prejudice.

Pangong Lake

There it shone around the bend: The glistening blue of Pangong Lake, changing hues synchronizing with changing lights of elusive dawn.

As I drew nearer & stood on its bank, I knew I had to come back again.

The lake was truly mesmerizing, surrounded by mountains of different shades of brown speckling with white frost which melted and turned golden surrendering to the advent of sun.

The sun unaware of its bewitching lights slowly enveloped everything around it; the golden rays caressing everything that came its way, leaving nothing untouched – not the guardians of the valley mighty mountains, neither the placid lake nor the stones on the banks & the clouds which were trying hard to shadow but failed to suppress the glowing rays; and amidst all this wonder I stood mesmerized, to the combined beauty of nature.

As I stood there surrendered to this unbelievable beauty, I bowed to the lake and prayed that nothing spoiled this beauty. You might think why this worry, who can dare to spoil such a beauty. But the future possibility stood there in form of rubbish strewn on banks – the plastics & the leftovers of tourists.

What’s with us? Why do we feel this urge to mark the place with our litter? Uneasy questions with not so easy answers…I was distraught & my mind was churning ideas about creating awareness & remedies, at the same time countering aren’t such movements already afloat but still this apathy.

Then I saw what brought hope & smile, two Indian army officers armed with a gunny sack were coming down the track & started to clear the litter. I was awed & my heart swelled with respect for them, but it was also a bit saddening. They are here to protect us from foreign intrusions mainly china, whose intrusions have been on rise since Sino Indian war.

As I joined hands with them we started talking about possible solutions, to nip this budding menace. Already government has kept the number of tourist camps to a minimum & no construction is allowed other then what is required by military. Bollywood is responsible for this surge in tourists, they said woefully. Before the movie 3idiots happened this place was still relatively unknown & harsh terrains aided to its survival.

Local groups & guides have become active on this front & even we do our bit, but yes if people became more sensitive...their words trailed off as we watched a flock of brown headed gulls over the lake. Soon it was time to go.

 I took a long deep look of the lake and headed back.

Oh sweet prince part these mystical waters of green & pink,

Wade through these dystopian times,

& take me to the distant utopia……..

Don’t be anxious,

the mirages they hold will be dispelled..

Just come; come & hold my hands,

make haste lest am swept by my own despair…

If only I knew how to swim,

If only I knew how to trounce my fear,

I would have crossed over long ago…

That is why I entreat you…

Just come; come & hold my hands,

make haste lest am swept by my own despair…