Today morning, as my rickshaw approached Bhandup I could see a big mob of Police constables. I call them a mob because that is what they behave like. They hardly have a human side to them. One of these constables stops us and mutters something in Marathi. He wants to check our bags and we oblige. He gets disappointed for not finding any illegal arm or drugs in our possession. But how would he letus go just like that. This isthe boni ka time. Yeah pretty much like those road side vendors who have their boni (the first customer) early in the mornings when one buys a comb or a wallet from them at one of those foot-over-bridges.
So this Police-wallah asks the auto driver for his licence and other documents and the driver obliges. Bad Luck! The Police constable mutters under his breath. But he is unabated by this second failure in a row and gives it a final try. A thousand ideas cross his nerves in a fraction of a second and he realises that the Auto-driver is not carrying his badge. There! Caught! Hurray!
Now he is half way through with his boni. Alas! The poor auto driver, who probably is having his boni time has got no money in his pocket. Additionally he has his passengers waiting in the rear seat. The Police-wallah tries to be rude and demeaning, signals the auto-wallah to come in the khopcha (where he could settle for kharcha pani). The rickshaw driver is now in a very odd situation and so are we, sitting in the rear seat. Suddenly something happens, the Police-wallah darts towards the rickshaw and in a split second we are off on our way. We just see the driver slipping something in the hands of the Police wallah and pocketing his licence into his pocket.
As we inquire he says, “ Chaalis rupayee liye saab. Sharifon ko hi to pakdenge, do number wale to aise hi nikal jate hain”. And my mind wanders off to the bomb blasts that we have witnessed in the recent past….
So this Police-wallah asks the auto driver for his licence and other documents and the driver obliges. Bad Luck! The Police constable mutters under his breath. But he is unabated by this second failure in a row and gives it a final try. A thousand ideas cross his nerves in a fraction of a second and he realises that the Auto-driver is not carrying his badge. There! Caught! Hurray!
Now he is half way through with his boni. Alas! The poor auto driver, who probably is having his boni time has got no money in his pocket. Additionally he has his passengers waiting in the rear seat. The Police-wallah tries to be rude and demeaning, signals the auto-wallah to come in the khopcha (where he could settle for kharcha pani). The rickshaw driver is now in a very odd situation and so are we, sitting in the rear seat. Suddenly something happens, the Police-wallah darts towards the rickshaw and in a split second we are off on our way. We just see the driver slipping something in the hands of the Police wallah and pocketing his licence into his pocket.
As we inquire he says, “ Chaalis rupayee liye saab. Sharifon ko hi to pakdenge, do number wale to aise hi nikal jate hain”. And my mind wanders off to the bomb blasts that we have witnessed in the recent past….
