Jaun diya

I had taken a taxi to go to fetch the child from a class. This was just before schools shut for  Diwali vacation. The cabbie said he will drop me but won't come back. In Bambaiyya language , he refused the 'return bhaada'.  In the narrow by lanes of Matunga, where cars are parked on both sides, a biker abused him. The cabbie tried to go ahead as he had to return the taxi for the next shift. The biker parked his vehicle ahead of the moving cab. He braked hard and stopped. The biker came to the driver and started slapping the driver. This was not someone holding the shirt collar and threatening. The biker was a huge man in his forties, grey eyes, fat in the belly and specs. We did not know what hit us. The cabbie tried opening his door so he could push the biker away and drive off. This angered the biker and he was now banging the taxi driver's head on the car window. I got off the taxi as I gathered my wits. I ran the other side to pull the man away from hitting my cab driver. My strength was of no use. There was a crowd gathered. A small red car came and a man got off. He asked the biker to stop all this, in a stern manner. The cabbie was bleeding on the forehead. Blood was all over his white shirt. I got my voice and had one support. I said he was hitting and my cabbie was not at all. to be blamed. This whole crowd of bystanders told the man from red car" Jaun diya". The biker was drunk. He had an orange Shiv Sena flag on his bike. I would have never figured that he was drunk. He promptly removed the flag from his bike.  The Good man told me to go to the police station to get a complaint registered. I had to pick up my child and I was late. The cabbie had to return his cab to the owner or else he would be answerable. The biker told me I am an educated man. I promptly told him  "English bolne se koi educated nahi ho jaata. Tum ne hi maara usko" The cabbie was scared of getting into a police station and of the lengthy formalities.. The entire crowd supported the biker . I gave them some really nasty words for supporting the criminal. No one from the neighbouring shops offered even a glass of water to the bleeding cabbie. The biker on the pretense of coming to the police station, zoomed off. The crowd was happy. Me and the man in the red car were upset. By that time people in the traffic behind came to fight as the red car and my cab were blocking the road. I sat back in the cab and the bleeding taxi driver dropped me at my destination. Once in the cab, I could not control my tears. I felt so helpless. I gave him money and he was trying to return the balance amount. I told him to keep all the money. I knew the amount will barely take care of his doctor's fees. I apologised to him. He said " Ma'am aap ka  koi galti nahin hai".

I could not go to the Police station. I did not click the man's picture. I did remove the phone from my bag but the Good samaritan stopped me by saying "Don't click, he is coming to the police station." I was too scared to click as this biker would have hit me. Only the 'Good samaritan' stood by me. I am still shaken up about this incident. How could the whole crowd just watch and also protect the biker who was the one hitting an innocent cabbie? That was the area of my old house. I lived there for ten years. I am sure someone would be knowing me. The 'raddi waala ' who still comes home to collect old newspapers , his shop is right there. He later told me he saw me surrounded by all those men. I then realised, I was the only woman in the crowd of fifty men. Is this how we urban people are? Why did bystanders stop him from hitting? Why do I still call that 'Raddiwala' to sell my old newspapers when he did not bother to look what was happening?  Were people supporting the biker because of the orange flag or its might? Only the good samaritan figured that this biker was driving under the influence of alcohol. And on being told this, the biker got nervous. Does being drunk give you the right to hit innocent people? Do road rage incidents happen like this? What happened in Siddhu's case of the road rage where a man was killed? I was safe but the cabbie was not, in daylight in Aamchi Mumbai. Even now when I am writing this, my thoughts are coming in a haphazard way. I am unable to get a smooth flow as there are so many unexpressed emotions, all tangled.

Subsequently whenever I got into a cab, I narrated this incident to other cabbies. They  did not seem surprised. Neither was the husband. He said he sees these scenes on his way back from work, where three men get off from a car start bashing an auto waala or a tempo driver after pulling him out of his vehicle. And others sit in their cars in the traffic jam and watch as you don't know when the traffic signal will turn green.

'Jaun diya ' means ' Let it go'. I let go of the criminal. I am supposed to let go of the incident. I am supposed to let go of the hurt, fear and above all the injustice of it. No one thought of calling the cops including me. I never remembered to thank the good samaritan. He sure was God sent. He managed to stop the merciless beating of my taxi driver. I thank him now and wish him strength to stand up for the truth always. His goodness gives me courage and hope.