In the run upto the State elections in April 2021i shopped for Vegeatbles in my usual shop and was returning home taking the inner roads that winds around a 3 star hotel .Opposite to this hotel is a community hall where people from hosing tenements conduct marriages and other functions.
It was also the place where a lot of migrants were locked up in nation wide lockdown.
In its parking lot I saw alot of men standing in rows .A man was whistling and shouting Left right etc and all the men obeyed him .I thought that they were the security guards of that hotel doing their drill.When I went to buy Butter milk as it was getting hotter and hotter from a milk parlour right next to that hall the sales man told me that all those men were from CRPF and they were here for poll duty .
I had a closer look .Most were light skinned men, must be North Indians slightly plump with paunches and very homely looking.I came home and told husband about this and observed that may be CRPF kept thier best men for naxal operations and sent the older and less fitter ones for poll duty.
A day or two later I visited that parlour .The sales man a retired banker said that all the butter milk was sold out as the CRPF men were guzzling them in pints and described the manner in which a man made huge chappat'is daily in the morning patting them with his hands and the men dipped them in the butter milk and ate them and added humourosly 'These men eat like 'Vandi karan' ie like Cart pullers ie those who do hard physical labour, who would make huge mound of rice pour a little sambhar or butter milk in it and then finish of that huge mound in no time.That sales man asked do you know about 'vandikaran' I smiled and said ofcourse my parents have used this phrase often to scold us when we ate just one course in big mounds of rice hastily.
He further said that he went far and wide in search of the buttermilk which these men wanted and that he charged just 0ne rupee extra .
Then he started talking about Srinivasar 's umbrella that is sent from Chennai to Tirumala each year during Bramhotsava festival in there.He kept giving details embellishing it with a lot of stories from past .that included miracles .I wanted to leave after sometime but he held me on with his talks.It wasn't very interesting but I didn't want to appear rude so I kept standing and listening .
Looked around and saw a Muslim youth in white and white and cap sitting on motorbike at the turning .He was staring at his smart phone .Alarm bells rang.Was he innocent or was he dangerous to me ?But still i kept hearing to this salesman who had become suddenly very garrulous.Then two men from CRPF camp in civils walked into the small shop blocking the entrance.
The one in the front was young ,dark and had a leathery skin.He was asking for butter milk .Something in his face was very arresting.He looked extremely fit .He also looked fierce.He didn't look at me but his partner a older light skinned man kept staring at me curiously.OK this is what pairs /partners in my presence do .One will talk and other would stare at me.
The sales man said' No buttermilk".I saw a packet of lassi or curds on the rack and I told the salesman about it who offered it to that CRPF chap.Who took it and paid for it by taking a wallet from his pocket .
The sales man asked for a rupee more .I felt somehow, some thing in that youth despite his fierceness moved me and i was very tempted to fish for it in my purse as i carry a lot of changes and was even tempted to pay for the curds but held back , that man was drawing a salary and he wouldn't like it if i did so.
They left soon .The sales man said' Had you not pointed out the curds I would have sold it to you.'
I said' Oh no it is fine .I have plenty of curds at home, i buy buttermilk just for its taste .These men are up from North away from their homes ,quartered in this hall in this searing heat .Give them first .You did the right thing.'
Came back thinking about that dark youth with leathery face'.Was he a tribal?How would his mother look? Just then i saw a dark woman clad in village style sari .A rarity these days .Maybe like her?
Then i thought was this enacted for me That is showing me that fierce looking very fit CRPF youth for having made fun of their age and paunches earlier on ?Or showed me a sample of the young CRPF men who were engaging naxals in forests and fighting them?Maybe..Or did they come down to block off that Muslim youth from me.Maybe .I have several times in past years seen bulky men or women come straight in front off me seemingly offensive and when i move to the side I would see men mostly youth behind some distance away look at their cell in surprise like as if it was cut abruptly and would go away with either a angry or disappointed look.Or did they just come down for some butter milk?As simple as that?
When i came out I didnt see that Muslim youth.He had left.
What ever that young man impressed me greatly and thought would the nighbourhood rowdies and anti social elements crawl under their beds in fear of on seeing him?Most likely .Even Naxals would.
i thought why should that salesman charge one Re extra? Maybe that would be his motivation to search far and wide for those bottles of thirst quenching buttermilk .
Our polling station was near that centre. A lone CRPF man stood on the main road .There were onl;y police men and women inside the polling station
That fierce looking man with a very calm manner , two contrasting qualities that was very appealing in that dark CRPF man was nowhere around .
Maybe that man with nerves of steel was posted in a more sensitive area..
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