Last year, I said to my uncle that I am thinking to buy a scooter since reaching my workplace in share rickshaw is quite dangerous as cab drivers put 4-5 people in Rickshaw and drive speedily (The conversation was in Marathi).
My uncle said, it seems Thane police is HATBAL (feeble) against the cab drivers. I said, they are not HATBAL (feeble) but they are HAPTA-ABAL (Weak or passive because of being bribed).
It was just a habit of us to play with words as the language lovers and that time I did not have any harsh opinion about police as today also since I strongly feel that police is a part of a society and most of the people in the society are opting for easy money nowadays. Why to blame police alone? I also feel that Maharashtra Police is still far better than rest of India.
Incidentally, last Sunday, I had been to a well known garden, along with my nephew. Since it was Sunday, the garden was quite crowded especially with tourist from other states. While roaming, I found a child crying out loudly and I lifted him. I tried to console him by wiping his tears and tried all the Indian language that I know. Also, inquired with other spectators. All of a sudden, felt that I should hand him over to Govt. Authority since it is not wise to carry unknown child for a long period. And fortunately, I saw a policeman. I had gone to him and handed him the child and started for the bus. Within a minute or two, a man came running to the police and said that it is his child. And that child also stopped crying since that man said something to that child in his colloquial Gujarati. Undoubted, that man was his father.
The policeman asked the father to come to police station and sign the documents to take charge of the child. And a Young Turks walking behind me said abruptly, “Apane hi bachche ko lene ke liye, gaya bechare ka do sau” (that the father has to bribe Rs. 200/- to take charge of his child). This was something that I wasn't expected.
I ran to the policeman and talked to him and ask him to handover the child to his father. Firstly, he kept on saying that it is a legal process. But at the end, because of my constant polite plea, he handed over the child but I could see clearly disappointment of losing money on his face. He said, “Madam, because of you I am handing over this child to his father. If anything is wrong, you will be responsible”.
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I just read some comments about Asha Bhosale’s remark on the Police on FB and it reminded me these incidents.
(Also, I must mention, while talking to that child, I used Aai, Amma, Maa, Maai and all the known words for mother but he did not respond and the policeman said, "Teri Mommy kidhar hain? (Where is your Mommy)" and the child started crying loudly, Mommy, Mommy. It didn’t strike using the word MOMMY. It seems, I am lagging behind the world).
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