YOUNG WOMEN BEWARE When somebody sitting near you speaks, it is not within your power not to hear what is said. It is impossible, at least for me to prevent my brain from processing to get at the meaning of what is heard. That does not stop everything. Many many things start happening. The mind starts judging. There is great agitation inside. Just listen what happened .
I landed at Bangalore around 7pm, after two and half hours of tiresome flight from Delhi. To be confined to a narrow seat for more than two hours is surely torture. As I had only a briefcase with me, I thought it would be better to take a bus. I was not guided properly and got into a wrong bus. The conductor advised me to get down at Mekhri circle and take an auto to reach my apartment . I was occupying a seat reserved for senior citizens. The seat next to me was vacant. When the bus halted before reaching the airport's exit gate, a young woman got into the bus and hurriedly occupied the vacant seat next to me. She was busy talking to somebody over her iPhone alternatively in Kannada and English. I never like to learn anything about another person's life, that too that of a stranger.
But the lady was talking so loudly that not to hear what she said ,one had to be stone deaf which unfortunately I am not. Her talk was very clear that I could pick up each and every word. I did not have the courage to tell her to reduce her decibel level. The trip lasted for 45 minutes. The entire talk disturbed me in several ways. It is not simply the loudness which tore your ear drums but something much more than that.
What is it all about?
First she was calling her close friend who lent a sympathetic ear to the damsel in distress.The conversation with her friend lasted for nearly 30 minutes interrupted by a colleague of hers. I would not know what the person at the other end said. I think I have sufficient intelligence to understand her problems from her own words.
"Tell me I am in a great fix. What can I do? That fellow is tormenting me. He keeps on sending messages. I never like such messages. I do not know his full background . But I heard he is a scoundrel . If my parents come to know about this, I will be buried alive. You know our background . I can't face my people at all. Once by mistake, I called him from my mother's cell. He started sending stupid messages to that number. Oh God! What a great mess I am in! Who will save me? Once he had spoken to my boss about me. I am never in love with him.I just chatted with him innocently without any motive . How can he assume that I love him? I don't know his education level. Whatever it is,if my parents learn all these, I will be killed. He is threatening to make a conference call. Tell me Jyothi what can I do? Even I know nothing about his job. Will he not let me free? What harm have I done to him? The only course left for me is to kill myself. When it comes to that I am ready to do that. He is solely responsible. I would write it in my suicide note. "She was literally weeping. Nobody in the bus bothered. Each was eager to reach his destination including me.
Afterwards she called her tormentor and abused him.
"How dare you assume that I am in love with you?
You are a dirty fellow. Keep off. You can not get me at all. For that matter I will not be in this world at all for you to get me. This is my last talk to you rascal. What harm have I done to you? You may love me. But I don't love you."
The bus stopped at Mekhri circle. I got down and she also. She disappeared into a lane.
But the conversation disturbed me deeply though I do not know her. She must be 25 or 26. Few years younger than my daughters. She appears to be well educated. She also has some good job. She belongs to a respectable family. What crime did she commit? She chatted in Internet with a man. Now he has become her tormentor . I felt very bad when she expressed her intention to take her own life. Had she sought my counsel, I would have advised her. But I would not know how she would have reacted, had I interfered. I felt great sympathy for her situation and prayed God that wisdom should dawn on her. There are many such girls who are blackmailed by such tormentors. Young girls , beware of internet chat with unknown people.
Discretion is the better part of valour.
Sayee Jayaraman
20/03/2015
