M - DIARY PAGE - 1 OCTOBER 2002

DIARY PAGE - 1 OCTOBER 2002

Since the time I got up and left my bed after saying my prayers, I knew
that the whole day would keep me busy.

At about 11 a.m. I stepped out of my house. I was already late for my
work and as everybody had left earlier, I was left with no other choice
but to find my own mode of conveyance. As I went down the lane, I
literally had to wade through the dirty road, lifting up my saree above
my ankles with the help of one hand and using my right hand to cover up
my nose with my hanky to stop the stinking smell from entering my
nostrils and creating a nauseating feeling.

Dirt had been piled up here and there and pot holes also lay bare. A
simple mistake of putting a foot into an uneven spot and you are back
to bed with a sprained ankle. Hurriedly I ran down the lane to reach
the taxi stand, to catch one, to take me to the place I wanted to go. I
was on my last lap of just crossing my lane and touching the main road
when suddenly I felt a splash of some liquid onto my clothes. Stunned,
I stopped short to see as to what fell on my clothes and also examine
if I could proceed further with that whatever that fell on my
saree.

Slowly I lowered my sight to the place where I felt my saree had got
wet. Literally, I cried out loud in anger. Red stains covered the left
side of my saree, Sprinkled red spots visible on my clothes from my
ankles up to my knees. What a mess and damage had been done. With
searching eyes I spotted the person who had been responsible for it. As
I looked at him I found him soundly chewing away Paan (betel leaf) in
his mouth. In front of me he again spat out the red Paan spit out of
his mouth but this time, sideways. He took no heed of my presence. His
spitting was an art to be seen. As he spat the red fluid from his
mouth, the liquid bounced out of his mouth with such a force that it
fell quite a distance away like a sprinkle.

There was no expression of guilt on the man's face when I showed him as
to what he had done to my clothes. Instead he said, "Bibiji you came on
my way when I was spitting. You should have been careful while walking.
Fault is yours, not mine."

Betel chewing is very common in India. The betel leaf is cut into two
by pulling down the midrib of the leaf. Then the rough side is splashed
with liquid lime with the help of a finger mostly. A few betel nut
pieces are put on top of it. Most of the people use tobacco leaf
preparations, either home-made or bought from the market. This leaf is
then folded into a conical shape and the open portion tucked in such a
way that the fillings don't fall out. The Paan is now ready to be
chewed. Be it rural or an urban area, Paan is the favourite of many
people here. To see widely the betel leaf acts as a good digestive if
taken after a heavy Indian lunch as said by elders.

Mostly in every nook and corner betel shops are found. The betel spit
is a common thing one can mostly see on the walls in public places like
cinema halls, bus-stands, railway stations, on the walls on the roads,
government offices, and many such places which the people don't feel
ashamed to spoil the cleanliness and the beauty. Such was the jerk and
astonishment that I got from a betel chewer.

As I was in a hurry, I did not want to pick up a quarrel with that man.
Walked a few yards, got a taxi, and turned homewards. I made the taxi
wait for sometime. Went and changed my clothes and I was off to my
destination.

I did not let this stupid matter linger in my mind but concentrated on
my work.

The day was fine. Apart from the morning's incident, everything ran
smoothly and I had a very satisfying day.

At the dinner table I told about the morning's incident and everyone
laughed at me.

I relaxed for sometime watching the T.V.

Finished a lot of work before going to bed.

Said my prayers and quietly crept into bed to get a good night's sleep
and have another good morning the next day.

11.30 p.m.