The disgusting beggar

I hated the traffic stop. It took a full three minutes to cross and its always the second green signal one will be able to cross. I removed my helmet. The insides were sweltering hot.

Someone poked me from behind and I turned

"Saar.. help me sir.." - it was the same beggar daily.

"How many times do I have to tell you don't touch me. You idiot. Don't you have any sense?"

"Saar, dont get angry saar, Its my livelihood saar, give me some money saar".. he said showing his yellow teeth broken in several places.
I hated this beggar. His hair was all matted and grass and odd hay struck out from his mat in different places. He was an eyesore in the lovely Taramani road that resembled like an international city highway with beautiful manicured medians and artistic lamp posts and ultra modern bus stops.

"Saaar... " he disturbed my thought chain again

"What?, Do I have to tell you daily? Don't you have any self respect? Why cannot you earn and live? Why do you beg. You dont seem to be disabled are you..?" my blood was boiling.

He continued to grin stupidly..
"its because of you guys our country is getting negative image.."

I realised that he did not understand the concept of country and negative image.. he continued
to smile ...

"Idiot.. get lost, i said.." . there was still another two minutes before the green light came on..

"Boss, pls give me a little space..." another voice said from behind. It was a guy who wanted to go left. I moved my bike a few yards to let him by

"Saar, I have not had food saar.. " he said following me..

I felt my temples throbbing again..
"Why should you get food? You dont seem to work, you have no sense of self respect and you are an eyesore to this place.. why should you even stay alive?" I yelled at him..

Others in the traffic were amusing themselves at my outburst. I could notice most of them were using me as a time pass at the long signal wait, but I could not control my anger.

I parked my bike on the stand and walked up scooping my helmet. The sergeant was standing on his bullet directing the heavy rush hour traffic.

"Sir," i interrupted him..

"What..." he turned giving me an annoyed stare, still directing traffic to keep moving..

"That beggar is bothering me daily sir. He wont stop disturbing how much ever I chase him away.." I paused for his reaction

"So, what do you want me to do?" he asked obviously peeved at my complaint

"Do you want me to give him money? " he continued sarcastically , .. "Move on..." he yelled at a cyclist in between

"No sir, he is an annoyance, why dont you take him to the station?" i suggested

He stopped directing traffic and turned to me.
"What are you thinking mister? haan? I'm a traffic policeman, not a dog catcher, do you get it? .." he shouted at me..

he then picked up his lathi and moved as he mumbled..
" dont know from where these guys come from... in the morning torturing me.. that S.P (*&(@#$ is also not giving me leave..." he was mumbling all sorts of things i could not figure out..

I just followed mutely as he moved to where the beggar was

With all his might, he swung his lathi..

"@#$@#$@ i told you not to beg here didn't i, didn't i? " he yelled at the beggar

"aaha... " the beggar screamed and jumped to avoid the lathi...but the sargeant was experienced and his blows found the mark always

" I will kill you with this lathi if i ever see you here again..." he was yelling.

"Serves him right .. " i thought to myself as the signal turned green.

I started my bike and rode away as i watched the policeman take out all his anger on the beggar.


Another one week passed by and the beggar was nowhere to be seen. Peace at last or so I thought.

Soon october came and it started raining heavily and the Tiruvanmiyur Junction was flooded with a foot of water. I was returning home that evening and it was dark and cloudy.
I had to be careful not to let the water into my silencer and I rode carefully. The signal was green, but I did not want to rush it.
Yard by yard, I progressed carefully maintaining steady throttle, suddenly i lost balance, my bike front wheen dropped below normal in what appeared to be an open manhole.
I struggled to find balance and totally lost it and fell to the left into the water. Soon water engulfed most of my body and I managed to keep my head above the water lying on the road. Before i could gather myself,
Out of nowhere a call taxi sped down bearing on me obviously trying to catch the signal and it appeared that he did not see me on the road hidden by water. The driver was focused on the signal.

I was too shocked from the fall and could not react.
A strong arm suddenly pulled me up from the road onto the pavement and just then the call taxi realized his mistake and swerved to avoid me.
there was a loud noise of metal crashing onto metal and
"Aaah" i screamed and I felt an overwhelming sense of tiredness sweep over me in an instant as my eyes blacked out....

i first felt the pain, my leg was throbbing......

i then felt someone slapping me on my chins trying to wake me up..

the blackness slowly lifted, it was dark even then with sudden flashes of life and sounds of horn.

why am i dreaming of traffic I thought and turned..
I could not turn.. a shooting pain in my leg stung me

I opened my eyes.. a scraggy face stared at me..

I looked around and I was on the pavement and it all came back to me in an instant.

My whole body was aching and my leg was hurting badly.. I looked again and I realized I was staring at the beggar
He had fresh bandages on his fore arms and lower legs.

"Saar don't move, your leg is bleeding he said.." he was tearing off a fresh pack of cotton and bandage..

How did he.. where did he come from.. when.. too many questions where swimming on my mind... the pain was unbearable..

"Saar, that calltaxi is an idiot saar, he would have killed you.. " the beggar said..

"Saar , be careful in rainy days saar, the corporation guys are idiots they opened the manhole and went off.. " he continued..,

I turned and looked for the bike. The handle bar was twisted and some parts appeared broken.. I looked at the place where i had fallen..
A big tree branch from the neartest drumstick tree was inserted in the hole that i ran into..

The beggar continued..
"Saar you are the second person saar to fall in the hole today, a cyclist fell down earlier.. thats why i kept that stick in the hole.." he continued..
"Saar, this may hurt he said.." a searing pain shot through my leg. and i looked down

He was keeping down a bottle of what looked like iodine or spirit and now he was bandaging my legs now.

"Saar have some pepsi saar", he said pointing to my side.. " will give you some strenght.."

I tried to say .. "why you bothered.." but words wouldn't escape my mouth, i was too stunned and tired.

I picked up the pepsi and gulped it down, it was cold and felt refreshing and I felt the caffeine working on my nerves as they all became alert again ..

My dress all wet , torn in places . I should call home i thought and picked up my cell,

It was cracked..

I just looked at the beggar .. he had gathered the remainder medicines and was now putting my bike on its stand.

"Saar take this medicene with you saar, use it till your wound heals " he said as though he was a doctor..,

Just then it hit me, the feeling of remorse and guilt. Here he was, the very same beggar whom I had yelled at and spewed venom at every given opportunity and had even got him beaten up and I could see that the fresh bandages on his hands and legs were those he had gotten himself treated for and yet here he was helping the very same person responsible for his added miseries without an iota of vengeance ..

"saar take rest here. I will come" he said and went off to the traffic light . He had started begging again, at the same place right beside the same sergeant that had beat him up just a week ago.

I felt humbled and ashamed of myself. Somehow the pain in my mind was more than my injuries from the accident.
I yelled at him each time he touched me, but it was his touch that had now healed me. It was his touch that had saved me from graver injuries, maybe even my life.

The light had turned green and he came back and sat down next to me and started collecting the coins..

"Saar, this is some sin from previous birth that is making me beg here...saar, don't mistake me.." he said
On a normal day I would have scoffed at his logic as an excuse for laziness. Today I somehow could not bring myself to look at him as anything but my own white angel.

Why is he still giving me respect after what i meted out to him,i wondered...

I got up to leave and pulled my purse out.. pulled a five hundred rupee note and gave it to him..

" no saar, i cannot accept money for helping someone.. " he said..

I was stunned.. 'no no, its ok, you should take it.." i tell him, my voice is still feeble.. a far cry from the usual shrill note he was used to hearing from me.

"no saaar, i cannot accept this. wouldn't you have done the same thing to me if i had fallen down..? ".. he said looking at me..

" this is the same way saar, you wont accept money for saving someone would you... this is the same way saar" he said without pausing for my reply

I was sure I would not have even paused to see if he had fallen down . I would have perhaps been happy to be rid of him.. it further ashamed me and I looked at the beggar with a new found respect.

" whats your name..." i manage to ask him.

" dont know ssaaar some call me thirugu.. some call me attai..I forgot my real name saaar".. he said showing his yellow teeth again..



Two months have passed since. He is still begging at the same traffic light. He does not prod me for money any more. Somehow it turned out that I was the beggar and he had just almed me a valuable lesson in 'respect for all forms of life'.