I was on my way to office in Paharganj from New Friends Colony when suddenly at Gole Market, my car tyre got punctured. There is a tyre shop of Sardarji, known to me, so he quickly acted upon and asked me to sit on the chair while he could do his work. Just in front of his shop, a lady was selling bazra maze, rice to feed birds especially pigeons.
A person came out of a big car and his driver threw a heavy jute bag out of the car to throw grains for the birds. Seeing this, the lady jumped into action and shouted back at them to take away their bag and feed somewhere else. The lady wanted them buy from her only. The elderly person was perplexed and argued with her but in vain. One more person came he bought from her and threw the bazara and gone. One person brought from home to feed in a polybag but she refused to feed.
In the meantime, I saw a smart-looking person who had come on his motorcycle with his son to feed these pigeons but she started shouting at them as well resulting in a quarrel between the two. The tyre shop keeper told me that she fights every day.
The NDMC encroachment drive truck was roaming around and the motorcycle person approached them. He used his influence and six -seven persons without wasting any time removed her cot, clothes, pitcher, basket, bags of grains and threw all of them in the truck. The supervisor asked sweepers to clean the place.
By now, she was standing calm, helpless, harmless, and non-abusive in a state of weeping. Some of the pigeons were hovering in air while others were sitting on electric wire and poles, building, trees but helpless and hungry. The motorcycle wala and his son crossed in front of her and platform, teasing her badly and laughing upon her.
After my tyre got fixed, I started my journey again but not before saying good bye to Sardarji. Near Puchkuia Road, I asked my driver to take a left turn, as I decided to go to Daryaganj before going to office. We reached Turkman Gate via Connaght Place, Minto Road, the traffic was very slow. I saw another pigeon platform fully crowded with birds, dirty waste of grains, filth, smell, and the traffic was at a complete halt.
Slow movement of the traffic allowed me to take a glimpse at the person sitting on that platform and eating out of the garbage perhaps some leftover of an office goer’s tiffin-a few plastic glasses and pots were lying full of dust and rubbish.
I asked the driver to stop the car. I went to that person; he glanced at me, a badly deserted person in a pathetic state. I flunged a note and asked him to come and take it……his eyes were drug addictive brownish – red, hair was grey but dry with dust, pant and his shirt type coat was torn and dirty. He shouted “Salo car walo….ab tum kuda bhi nahi khaney doge”. I went a little closer to him and again showed him the note which he did not even bother to notice for a while. He turned around, gathered his pant and coat and jumped in air “eis sey bady -bady note to maney randoien par lootay they…. eis saly note ney he tou zeena dushwar Kar diya…. jao babu jao kisi bhikhari to dena… khush hoga (I used to flung bigger than big currency notes on prostitutes….. and these notes alone are responsible of my this state of affair, you gentleman go and oblige some beggars with this note… they will bless you. I hate notes)”.
I suffered a loss of my dignity, humanity, philanthropy in few seconds by this man. I returned to the car to resume my further journey to Daryaganj.
Now the third time, it was a bigger platform near the freedom fighter DB Gupta statue, where pigeons were busy enjoying free feed of aandatas from by passers and there were two three grain sellers away from the feeding ground. The red signal gave me enough to watch a lot of things… two boys quickly but slowly rushed towards pigeons and caught one after one two birds in no time and twisted their necks ,red fluid came out and the pigeons were thrown inside a jute hand bag. No body interfered, no one asked, no botheration, the feed sellers, by passers, no one checked or as these speechless birds were fed here to be caught by these cruel monsters.
Who is doing charity… who is doing cruelty… chal ud ja rey panchi ab yeh desh hua begana… Md Rafi Sang for Bhabi Film in 1957 seems to be fit even today.
