Three

She is in her early teens or just about to get there. Her hair is slick and tied into two braids one on each side. She wears a blue and white school uniform. She is crossing the road with a younger sister and her mother. She leads the way. As an aside, crossing a busy road in India is no mean task, there are no rules (zebra crossings are scant), one has to be innovative, very alert and lucky. She has a determined look on her face, all ready to navigate her family across troubled "waters." She is two-thirds of her way across negotiating each lane separately when a couple of young men on a motorbike come from the other side. They are travelling at a reasonably fast pace and it is not possible for them to stop. The young girl, with a grimace on her face, raises an admonishing finger at the bikers, much older and larger than them and shouts, how dare they not slow down to let her family go! The bikers smile and keep going. vehicles cannot suddenly brake in the middle of a road in heavy moving traffic, just to let the odd pedestrian cross through any random point! No one is hurt. No one is even close to being hurt. Indians have a knack for negotiating through chaos like this quite easily.


*****

There is a multi-storied building. It is well maintained with a large lawn before it. The grass is neatly trimmed, a variety of potted plans line the sides, at a corner there are swings and a slide for children. There are stone walkways across it. A young boy, probably a 7-8 year old, comes and decides to urinate right on the stone walkway, next to the potted plants. In the meantime, middle-aged lady, walks down the road. She is wearing a salwar-suit and sneakers, her hands are empty - which would indicate she might be returning from a morning walk. She walks into this building with the accustomed air of a resident. She sees the kid urinating, but says nothing. She does nothing. Turning away, she just walks past him and up the stairs.


*****

It is a shared public vehicle which charges nominal rates. It is filled with people as it rumbles along. The driver is constantly chatting. His eyebrows are furrowed. He is trying to pack in as many passengers as possible. His voice is hoarse. By the amount of rough chatter, one might be tempted to think he is worried or under some sort of stress unless it's his nature to behave so. At a point, an elderly lady gets off. The driver charges more than the standard fare. The lady refuses to give in. Her hand is stretched out into the window of the vehicle. The driver barks back. It is all a bit incoherent and condescending. He refuses to budge. But the outstretched hand prevents him from starting. He is rude. He ignores the few half-hearted pleas from fellow passengers. He shouts back and has no intention of returning the woman her change. In the face of threats, she has no option but to give up.