Empathetic Me by Rekha Jad
Today,as usual seemed to be conventional,dull n humdrum Monday morning.Hastily winding up my daily chores to leave by 8.30 am,so as to reach our work place on time , where thumb identifying box awaits us and pines to capture its imprint,lest we are marked truant.Being wary of Delhi traffic snarls which are nightmarish ,our commutation is perfectly timed.So while better half belts up and ignites his precious possession,I prefer to walk down up to the main road. Woah! here I see the plant seller with his bicycle loaded with verdant ,lush ornamentals. Crazy plant woman that I am, though not a plant connoisseur ,I start selecting as well as haggling. I have a fine eye for this skill of bargaining n negotiating.We may spend a bomb in malls and restaurant s,but we have this nasty habit of bargaining with poor n flea marketeers.
I select the sensevaria or the mother in law tongue plant.I love this luscious green perennial but detest the name mother in law 👅 given to it because of the sharp pointing ,long lasting leaves. Then my heart goes out for the attractive foliage of Laila Majnu. Totally in awe with it's twin shade of red n green..My roving eyes fix on the Bertie or the Boston fern,perched on the back carrier of the cycle.I have already started imagining the magnificent,arching green fronds sprucing up my corner,turning the room into a tranquil sea of green!
Lastly,I pick the lucky pink Singonium or the goose foot.The five lobes of the plant representing the five elements of life,compel me to have this.
Suddenly plant Wala bhaiya asks me to look across the road,Where the man at the wheel is seething in rage My love for plants turned me deaf to the loud blare of his honking. He almost murdered me with his scornful ,glances and stares.We exchanged glances not words. I didn't have the temerity to talk to the plant seller.I left the plants and felt I had left some part of my body there. .I restrained from explaining the benefits of NASA approved air filtering plants,or the feng shui effect of ying yang.I kept on taking deep relaxing breaths and maintained fortitude and composure.Its pertinent to mention that myself n patience are total strangers. At this moment utterance of a single word would invite an ugly verbal spat or even an acrimonious divorce😊..Other reason to remain stoic was to save the life of pedestrian,s as the man at steering wheel was driving at lightning s speed.
As I am sulking n brooding about the monetary loss of plant wala, car comes to a grinding halt at the red light.I see this transgender knocking at my window.Dressed in garish ,sequined salwar kameez,.Fake hair nicely tied into a bun,adorned with flowers,Kohl outlined eyes and face slathered with whitening powder,though little stubble was peeking through the layers of make up.Her glossy lip color was impeccably applied,though her teeth were nicotine stained. She starts communicating with signature Hijra clap and I lower the glass.Gruffly demanding the money,I quickly handover the money clenched in my hands which had turned moist by now.Money meant for the plant seller transferred else where.This time I am extra generous.She hurriedly hurls blessings on both of us and leaves with an exaggerated swing of her hips.As she departs,I am lost in the tragic transgender character of Anjum of Arundati Roy's latest book. I am reminded of her ordeals and upheavals in life. Her dreary dwelling at graveyard. Why has destiny been so cruel to them?Their conflicting biology ,patched together bodies and partially realized dreams. I m sincerely filled with angst and agony .My better half, I m sure must be looking for new models of cars and bikes hitting the roads or appreciating the engineering marvels
of metro pillars and gargantuan flyovers!!
During my childhood my brother would tease me, saying: "women are wacky n vain,they would like to be pretty than a good brain.".But I think women don't care about beauty or brain,they live and breathe with their hearts.Female hearts are loaded with lot of fatty material which melts down at the drop of a hat... Empathy n compassion ,thy name is woman.As we hit our destination on time, thankfully, news of arrest of ex FM P. Chidambram flashes on screen.Accused of money laundering.How can they do this to such a decorated person? Very undignified move,indeed. I make a call to my son and share this news as well my despair with him.He gives me a snarky reply, "Mom,I thought you were little right wing, loyalties changed????. Men will be Men ,from Mars and women from Venus!
I select the sensevaria or the mother in law tongue plant.I love this luscious green perennial but detest the name mother in law 👅 given to it because of the sharp pointing ,long lasting leaves. Then my heart goes out for the attractive foliage of Laila Majnu. Totally in awe with it's twin shade of red n green..My roving eyes fix on the Bertie or the Boston fern,perched on the back carrier of the cycle.I have already started imagining the magnificent,arching green fronds sprucing up my corner,turning the room into a tranquil sea of green!
Lastly,I pick the lucky pink Singonium or the goose foot.The five lobes of the plant representing the five elements of life,compel me to have this.
Suddenly plant Wala bhaiya asks me to look across the road,Where the man at the wheel is seething in rage My love for plants turned me deaf to the loud blare of his honking. He almost murdered me with his scornful ,glances and stares.We exchanged glances not words. I didn't have the temerity to talk to the plant seller.I left the plants and felt I had left some part of my body there. .I restrained from explaining the benefits of NASA approved air filtering plants,or the feng shui effect of ying yang.I kept on taking deep relaxing breaths and maintained fortitude and composure.Its pertinent to mention that myself n patience are total strangers. At this moment utterance of a single word would invite an ugly verbal spat or even an acrimonious divorce😊..Other reason to remain stoic was to save the life of pedestrian,s as the man at steering wheel was driving at lightning s speed.
As I am sulking n brooding about the monetary loss of plant wala, car comes to a grinding halt at the red light.I see this transgender knocking at my window.Dressed in garish ,sequined salwar kameez,.Fake hair nicely tied into a bun,adorned with flowers,Kohl outlined eyes and face slathered with whitening powder,though little stubble was peeking through the layers of make up.Her glossy lip color was impeccably applied,though her teeth were nicotine stained. She starts communicating with signature Hijra clap and I lower the glass.Gruffly demanding the money,I quickly handover the money clenched in my hands which had turned moist by now.Money meant for the plant seller transferred else where.This time I am extra generous.She hurriedly hurls blessings on both of us and leaves with an exaggerated swing of her hips.As she departs,I am lost in the tragic transgender character of Anjum of Arundati Roy's latest book. I am reminded of her ordeals and upheavals in life. Her dreary dwelling at graveyard. Why has destiny been so cruel to them?Their conflicting biology ,patched together bodies and partially realized dreams. I m sincerely filled with angst and agony .My better half, I m sure must be looking for new models of cars and bikes hitting the roads or appreciating the engineering marvels
of metro pillars and gargantuan flyovers!!
During my childhood my brother would tease me, saying: "women are wacky n vain,they would like to be pretty than a good brain.".But I think women don't care about beauty or brain,they live and breathe with their hearts.Female hearts are loaded with lot of fatty material which melts down at the drop of a hat... Empathy n compassion ,thy name is woman.As we hit our destination on time, thankfully, news of arrest of ex FM P. Chidambram flashes on screen.Accused of money laundering.How can they do this to such a decorated person? Very undignified move,indeed. I make a call to my son and share this news as well my despair with him.He gives me a snarky reply, "Mom,I thought you were little right wing, loyalties changed????. Men will be Men ,from Mars and women from Venus!
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