Watched a short film that dealt with the lives of beggar women who sell mirrors, ballons, plastic dust bags, combs, pens by the road side or at the traffic signal. The main character was a young woman who wants to remain clean to avoid skin diseases. The way she is treated by the society in general, and especially by her community, formed the plot.
That short film had a middle-aged woman character whose argument was to consciously remain dirty so that neither men as such, nor (especially) 'husbands', 'bother' them. Sure the main character in the film finally beats up her harrowing 'husband', and the last shot deals with the woman enjoying a bath.
The film initiated a chain of thought. Where exactly lies the solution? Population explosion that creates a resource crunch? In the film, the middle aged woman talks of how all the children of her types are not the off-spring of their 'husbands'. The film shows each one of them with at least three!
If it indeed is so, as 'senti' films are hardly data-driven, what does it tell us about the population clock, mounted on the GIPE compund wall, which is ticking away by the second? Are such poor people the result of urbanisation? In the city, how can they be provided basic minimum wages for a decent life? Must not they be taught ways of birth control?
Well, let me tell you an anecdote. Some ten years ago, a young 'murali', a girl offered to god apparently, used to beg in our colony every Friday. Without fail, I used to help her with some money, a handsome amount for her. As a result, she would come every Friday. She was a chit of a girl, hardly twelve.
I offered to register her in a school and also in an orphanage. Told her about alternative ways of life. Explained to her in a language she would understand about social welfare department and also about NGO's like Sindhutai Sapkal's or the 'Maher' types.
Despite lots of cajoling, she WAS not interested. She was convinced that theirs IS the right way. Aai felt afraid as the girl obviously belonged to a group of 'devdasis' who would not like my kind of 'interference'.
Despite a year or so of my attempts, one day she just disappeared. A year later, she returned, heavily pregnant. I felt huge pity for her. But I also felt distressed that she would not listen to sense. Within two years, she was back with one kid at her toe, one baby her basket, and a bump clearly indicating the next pregnancy.
Helping her would be encouraging extremely bad practices, and that, too, in the name of rituals. Soon she realised that I would not shell out money as earlier.Yet, even now, whenever she sees me as she is begging near a sweetmeat shop or at the crossroads, she comes running, tells me how her children are in 'eskool', how she regrets not listening to me, and how her daughters would not be 'murali'. Yet, even now, she has not given up being one!
Pratima@ What is the kinder option? Actually helping out? Making films that fetch one kudo's? Don't know as arts sensitise, is my belief! And how to help out in a systemic way?
Well, yes, given this episode, I feel extremely distressed when girls dance to 'murali' songs during college competitions 'coz such 'art' heartlessly and senselessly adds legitimacy to a cruel custom!
No comments:
Post a Comment