YetiBlog® 26th March 2008 - The terrible incident at the Taj Mahal We get down. It’s almost time to leave for Delhi. I collect my shoes from the shoe-keeper. Jenny is sitting on the bench next to me.
She bends down to take her shoe covers off. As I slip my second shoe on, I am aware of a man standing very close.
I look up in time to see him taking a photo of Jenny’s cleavage at a distance of 2 feet, straight up front.
That’s it. That's bloody it.
Everything snaps in me and I stand up, swiftly grabbing his mobile with one hand and grabbing his neck in my other. I’m going to kill him right here.
I want to beat him to a pulp but alarm bells are ringing in my head.
He is not alone. I can see a stirring of boys behind him. It is not safe for me to get into a fight with Jenny here with me.
I am at a National monument, surrounded by tourists from around the world. Do I want them to see this?
Besides, if there is a fight, I would get into trouble too. I don’t want that.
I need the police.
I look up swiftly and see some people gathering, anticipating a fight. I ask for the police, some guys point me towards a constable. I drag the guy (he is about half my size, I’m a big guy and very very mad right now) and his friends are trying to keep up. Yes? Says the constable rising. He is very large and fit for a regular police officer. Later I notice that he is CISF. Of course, this is the Taj, they are prepared for terrorists and worse.
I quickly explain to him in Hindi what happened. I am angry and cannot stop the flow of MCs and BCs from my mouth. Yeh hamaare mehmaanon ke saath aisa vaahiyapan karte hain!! Inko vajeh se saare hindustaniyon ka naam kharaab hota hai.
Kiski photo li. Mere Mangetar ki, I say. Aap kuchch kar sakte hain?
Inko seedha kardenge sir, lekin aap thane aayenge?
Yes, chalo.
The defiance of the boys has turned to water. 5 of them are now walking with us. I’m srill holding onto the phone, a Chinese no-brand phone, shaking with anger.
I now realize Jenny is completely bewildered. She has no clue what’s going on. I quickly explain. While she is annoyed, she is still confused. So they will go to jail?
No. I keep walking faster. I want them to be taught a lesson. I am ashamed of their behaviour, it reflects on my people. I am angry because he took a picture of her in that position and I love her. I want them to pay. She follows, but I can see she is confused. I am simply caught in the heat of the moment, my brain has stopped working. Maaf karo bhaiyya galti ho gayi.
Galti se aadmi gir jaata hai. Koi cheez tod deta hai. Galti se aadmi photo nahi le sakta hai. Main tumhe seedha kar ke hi ghar jaaoonga.
Another tries to speak to Jenny. The constable asks him to shut up.
A minute later he tries again. The constable swings around/ Tujhe bola na MC chup KAR and slaps him hard.
So this is what it’s going to be like. I walk on with mixed feelings.
Should I have broken his phone on the ground and waited to see what happens next? Should I have hit him and created a free for all melee?
Should I have looked the other way, avoided trouble and let this man walk away with a photo of my woman’s cleavage? Certainly NOT!!
I am doing the right thing.
I turn to Jenny, hoping she can read my mind. She looks shocked. She is still recovering from the velocity and sheer force of the slap she just saw delivered. I turn back in front and walk. I am going through with this. I have to. They need to know that we cannot treat our tourists like this. I am suffering from double indignation and anger.
At the station inside the Taj, a Gurkha gentleman is in charge. He is tough and strong, built like a commando, pants tucked into his boots. These guys look hardcore.
The constable explains briefly and quickly. We are offered seats while the boys stand. Aap Indian hai?
Jee.
Aur yeh?
Meri mangetar hai. I say defiantly. Pehli baar India aayi hai, pehli baar taj dikhane laya hoon. Taaki yeh lafange is tarah ka bartav kar sake uske saath. Yeh ladke pata nahi kitna foreignero ko pareshaan karte hain. Yeh kitni sharm ki baat hai.
Yeh hamare mehmaan hai. Laakho rupye kharch karke hamara desh dekhne aate hai. Yeh hai hamara atithi devo bhava?
It is our moral DUTY to make them comfortable and THIS is what they do? I am shaking with anger and close to tears.
Hmm.
He looks at her and back at me.
Suddenly he snaps up, stands straight, runs towards them and slaps all and hits all the boys simultaneously!! Another policeman joins in, whacking them across their faces and heads.
MY ears are ringing with the force of this. CHALO MC MURGA BANO!!
KOI EK HILA TOH YEH DANDA GHUSA DOONGA!!
One boy stirs, the baton lands squarely across his spine.
This is brutal.
Another moves, he gets hit really hard on his behind. I realize Jenny has closed her eyes and is shaking. This is not going well. Kaunsa tha?
I point. Kahaan ka hai tu?
Some village in UP, I forget. BC teri shaadi hui hai?
Nahi.
Behen hai?
Haan.
Kahan hai?
Ghar pe.
WHACK!! BEHEN KO GHAR PE CHUPATA HAI PARDE MAIN AUR IDHAR AAKE DOOSRE AURAT KI PHOTO KHEENCHTA HAI?? MC!!
In a few minutes they are all standing with their hands and legs apart, wincing in pain.
One boy grabs Jenny’s feet. “Do you forgive him Jenny?”
“OF COURSE!! Please let them go,make it stop”
I turn to the officer. He has discovered more firang photos on the phone and is hopping mad. BC tum log is liye taj mahal ate ho!!
6 hafte ke liye inko andar kar doonga, he says, eyes blazing. Maarenge itna kil halwa ban jaayega badan ka. MC! He hits them again. Sir, buss.
He's not stopping. Sir, buss kijiye.
He stops. I will have to write a report for him (Let off with a warning, please do not prosecute further etc)
While I am writing, the ACP enters. The officers stand straight and suddenly the whole melee starts again for the ACPs benefit. They are murgas again getting beaten and brutalized.
This is not going as planned.
I explain all the the ACP quickly adding, Yeh log kaafi maar kha chuke hain.
IN a little while (that seemed like an eternity) they are writing apologies with bruised hands. He is making them promise that they will spend the rest of their lives helping foreigners in India.
Jenny and I leave. She is obviously in shock. Is this how the police treat someone for a small crime? You get beaten up like this?
No. You get beaten up depending on the nature of your crime and on who you are, how you speak, how you look and dress. You and I will never get beaten up at a station.
But that’s UNFAIR! That is how it is.
We walk in silence. I didn’t want this to happen. I know I did the right thing. They have been taught a lesson and they will tell every one of their peers not to harass the foreigners again.
But I did not want TheOne® to leave with this memory. But it’s happened now.
We walk some more in silence. Then a funny and sweet incident happens which was a little embarrassing for me. I won’t tell you about this but I am 100% sure Jenny will, lol.
It lightens us up and we walk back to the van. Soon we forget the ugly episode and are walking through Agra, arm in arm.
Perhaps it would have been more heroic to break his phone. She would have handled that better too. But things could have gone wrong from there. It could have been me against 5 boys. I can handle that, but with Jenny by my side? What if things hadn't gone well? Atleast this way we sat decently in the station and left with some honour.
nevermind, this is life. We are here on a beautiful holiday, a crazy eventful wonderful holiday. And we're happy to be with each other. And that is all that matters.
The way back to delhi is uneventful, full of snores and the end of Dil Chahta Hai.
We spend a peaceful and tired evening at home in Delhi. Just some Chinese take out and a glass of wine. We’re tired, it’s been a long day. Tomorrow we will drive to Neemrana. I am super excited.
Last edited by Sam Kapasi : 12th April 2008 at 23:43.
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