Forgot your pencil?

Remember the time at school when you forgot your pencils back home? So scared the teacher will yell at you, weren't you?

``Teacher Teacher....4got my pennsilll''...you had to pout your lips for an innocent look exuding apology and pray she'd let you off a little light.

Or begged your bench-mate, often your competitor or enemy of life in school!

It's true that children move on to pens from pencils at flying speed these days. But what about, if the morning rush made you leave behind that homework pencil on the table rather than tuck into your pen-pencil box or pouch?

Here's a super solution that left me zapped. It was when I went to an elementary on some work near home recently.

Am already singing in my head, ``Pencil bekaamma, Penciluuu!'' (Want pencils?)

A pencil vending machine! Wow! It's time cities in India decided to use these large scale! I wasn't sure if this is the in-thing though. I am still not.

``Do you know this is the only such machine I have seen my entire life?'' remarked the official at the school office that evening. She did not know much about it either.

It works similar to the coin-operated washing machine that I used at my earlier apartment laundry room.

Push a 25 cents coin or a quarter of a dollar on to one of the slots and push the flexible piece below the slots in. I haven't tried it myself, but the structure is similar.

No idea what the brand of these pencils is, but I loved it anyway.

Image flash: our petti-kadai stationery stores. Natraj pencils. And the like. Am imagining if in future, we'll have vending machines for erasers, rulers and papers too in schools.

Traversing cities here, I find umpteen vending machines for Coke n Pepsi kind of soft drinks, snacks - mainly fried chips and wafers, machines to sell detergents, coin vending machines (you insert a note and get coins in return) and even machines that vend tampons and sanitary napkins at Women's Restrooms (read toilets).

But pencils? First time. It's out-of-box cerebral cells at whacky work here.


Pictures: Radhika M B

Cost of a Ganesha

Just how would you react if you walked a mela by the riverside of a foreign shore, and found among all the stashes of locally made goods and colours, a slice of your own desi wares?

Ditto the way they were displayed at our craft fairs and village santhes I mean.

I found the brass danglers that make up for our desi wind-chimes or doorway decor and got pulled towards them like to a magnet. This was at the Bear Mountain State Park's Fall fest. Or Oktober Fest.

This Sun God doorway hanging, with the Om hanging, make up for a lovely grab in our craft fairs and decor stores! What a welcome sight! To see home out here! Bandni dupattas getting converted into table cloth! And even Evil Eye charms (though I doubt they have an Indian origin).

Curious, my friends and I check out the price - in the range of $ 20, which is, if you calculate `multiplied by 50', about Rs 1,000 for Sun God chime alone. Ouch. I guess the would have been in the range of Rs 200 or Rs 300 back home.

We do not check out the price of Rudraksha mala or chain. But the little figurines of Ganesha, Buddha and the agarbatti or incense stick stands, are so so inviting!

Tough luck. Ganesha (the blue green one) here costs $ 34 which is Rs 1,700 or more! Agreed that even in our cities, we've such statues that cost sky high. But the size here simply does not justify that cost! The incense stick stands, are at $ 20 each. Everything else that I ventured to check about was in a similar price range.

The man at the stall looked every bit like he had gone to India for a holiday and decided to put up whatever he picked up as a souvenir hunter, on a yard sale! Isn't that a super business opportunity?

Travel to the place you like, pick up the stuff, not as a businessperson, but a tourist, and sell them away anyways!

I've seen Pashmina shawls acquiring the fancy name of Cashmere that I bought at Rs 100 or Rs 150 at Delhi's Janpath Market go here in malls, for $25. At times, even $50.

This bit leaves me in a dilemma. Shall I feel happy for the fact that our culture tingles the interest of people in other countries, or sad that they profit so much from it?

Or is it simply an H4 wife ranting because she is not allowed to sell? And earn money for herself?

Picture Courtesy: Radhika MB
If you need pics without watermark, write to: radiscribe@gmail.com

See related posts: Writing on Sand

``Will you be an escort?''

Just what happens when a stranger enters your gmail chat list?

I guess this was about four years back, when a woman I did not know ended up in my chat list. The name was all so familiar. Maybe it's one of my classmates from the creative writing class. I let it be.

The so-perceived classmate's real credentials, I got to know in an amusing but not so pleasant way. The conversation left me with a sick feeling.

Am browsing mail on gmail, when the chat window opens suddenly. Let's call her AK.

AK: hello, would you be interested to work in an escort service?

What? Who on earth would try this stupid enticing thing? Obviously shocked but curious in an instant...aargh...me the journo all time...

Me: Who the hell r u?

AK: My name is A as you can see it and I work as an escort. We are looking for more people. Would
       you be interested?

Me: am wondering how u showed up on my chat wall.

AK: we added each other years ago I think.

Me: What made u add me to the list? Do you know my background?

AK: I do not know...so asking, if you would like to.

I am irritated by now, but still curious if she was willing to talk...you never know if there is a story in there!

Me: u r asking a journalist. now just tell me how i must react, curiosity or amusement?

AK: interested. you are anyways used to travel and meeting new people.
        i think you will be a good fit.

Oh really. Now that's a shocker. And how dare she assume if I am a journo, I travel and so am available?

Me: Oh My God! i can't believe what u r doing. look, i do not wish to judge u, but let me tell u, am
        in no need of doing this. am happily married...blah blah

I do go on to add:
I can only pray for ur well being and request u not to bother me with such queries.

AK: you might not be in need, you can do it for fun, like i do. whats the big deal? that u r married is
       not going to be a problem

Me: ok...let me get this straight, if a person is a journo, it does not mean that person is available for
       such work. i have met people in sex work, but no one stepped out of their boundaries to entice
       other professionals like me into their world

AK: I agree, but then it is very common for women in media to be escorts.

I want to give her a tight slap. For suggesting that my colleagues and friends who sweat it out are escorts. If she was in front of me, I would have done that.

But I am curious if she means what she says. And if she knows it.



Me: really? this is making me curious. can u name them?

AK: No, I won't of course. what is stopping you...why can't you spend sometime with some one when
        anyways go out as part of your job?

Me: what makes u think all journalists are always travelling, and are escorts? how dare you paint
       media women with that brush?

Miss Enticer is least bothered about how angry I am. And goes on. I want to hit her for insulting me and my colleagues.

AK: I said `most'. Anyways, how old are you?

Me: if you are part of an escort service trying to lure women, this is a bad selling bait. my age thing -
        none of ur business. First of all, stop assuming that people `want to do it' when u do this

I am aghast. She continues mundanely.

AK: if you are below 30 and decent looking you can get 10-50K per day

Me: it is one thing for u to be an escort and another to pull others into the web. u r obviously trained
       to do it this way

AK: am just offering work...just socialize with business men and make them feel home for a day.

Am now getting clearer in my head how the trafficking industry works at this level. So tailored to suit the male libido, so particular about converting the woman's body into a product to be used and thrown. Am amazed though, that she treats it as a legitimate job, something the men who pay her will not do,nor will governments and courts, but she is made to believe so.

Me: wow...what a job!

I admit, am getting judgemental here. I go on.

Me: and they get to go back to their wives the next day, while all u get is cash in return. if this cash
       runs a family, i can understand...

I want to go on...but she interrupts.

AK: ofcourse...jobs are to earn money...just like your current day job.

She obviously does not know that I am not working with any organisation, and am in a faraway land at that.

AK: okay, so are you saying you will be interested if some money goes to family?

Me wants to end the conversation, having run out of patience with this seller of such a job op.

Me: all the best to u my dear...u will learn when life teaches u
       bad bait that (about the family part)

AK: its totally upto you if you want to donate some of your earnings to charity....

Me: am deleting u from my list. goodbye, good luck with life

AK: why...let it be, just in case you change your mind. i will always be available, if u want to start
        working and making good money.

Me: Men won't call what u r doing a `job'.

AK: what do they call?

Me: you know better. i do not want to talk further.

 

AK: i just don't get what you find so bad about it...what is your objection in the first place? dont you
       feel comfortable with new people?

At this point, I have deleted her id from my chat list. Am in no mood to be in touch, even if for a story. But am left with a lot of questions. I quick check her name on google, and other forums have her name all over with cryptic messages, obviously for her to get in touch with her escort agents.

``Your brother is calling you...'' was a common message. Another said, ``Calling AK *******''

It does ring bells about how the system works. What was intriguing was how she was schooled into believing that this is a job like any other, by the people who hired her. And it is probably a similar thing she was using to suck in other girls into the profession. And she also believes there is fun in it.

I cannot call this conversation a perfect journalistic one. I still cringe how anyone can make such an absurd and abusive remark about women who slog it out in my profession. I did not query her age when talking to her. But her email id hints at her being of 21 years. That's my guess, not conclusion. If it is a job as she argues, why do only girls like her get caught during police raids? Why do courts put the `immoral' label only on the women into the trade, and not the men who make merry and get away with it? Does she get to go ahead in life and get married? I doubt it.

The businessmen she talks about have all that luxury - go `have fun' and get back to your family anyways.

And the words they use - `make them feel at home'.