Pagli

Pagli

I finished my morning walk around the lake, came out of the gate near CRC, Gopal was fetching the car, I walked towards the lone beggar. Every day I pay some money to that beggar plus a beggar woman. The woman was missing. I asked that beggar about her. He informed, “Both of us got 500 bucks from a gentleman yesterday, she must be boozed out.”

Those words “boozed out’ took me back by about 20 years.

Those days I was posted at Kolkata and would on some evenings stop at the lake for evening walk on the way home. It was one such evening when I was walking around the lake opposite Menoka cinema. Suddenly I felt that a few urchins were following me, those days the lake was not enclosed like what it is now. I sensed that those were snatchers, I was trying to figure out a way to get out of the predicament but suddenly a woman in trousers with a bidi dangling from her mouth, the hair tightly bound in a bun appeared from nowhere. She hissed at those urchins, “Back off

! Leave him alone!”

I stopped, wide eyed I was watching that tableaux. I was mesmerized by that scene unfolding in the semidarkness. The diffused light from the street lamps created an aerie atmosphere! She was poised like a fighter with her weight supported on her left leg and slightly bent forward, she had pulled out her long hair pin and held that in her fist, a desi Modesty Blaise I thought. Her this unexpected appearance stunned those ruffians, I started looking around for police. I don’t remember whether I shouted for police or not but I heard footsteps and whistle. Those rascals fled after cursing her in Bengali, they were calling her Mukhpuri ( in Bengali, it means burnt face). She gave a mock salute to me and vanished in the thin air.

After that day I stopped my evening walk around the lake. I encountered that woman in trousers again when I went for an English movie in Menoka. I found her selling tickets in black, I could make out that she was the ring leader of all those boys selling tickets around that cinema hall. She did not recognize me but I could, the event of that fateful evening was permanently etched in my mind.

I went near her at the teashop by the side of road, she came forward thinking that I was looking for ticket.

-No,no I don’t want any ticket as I have purchased ticket in advance but I want to thank you for saving me on that evening.

She looked closer at me and then carelessly told, “Oh! That’s nothing! Because of those rascals’ people are scared to come even for evening show in this cinema hall and if people don’t come then how do we earn? So me and my gang keep a close watch!”

-That day I could not thank you but I want to reward you for your that act.

I gave her 50 bucks and she accepted that nonchalantly.

I don’t remember the name of the Hindi movie for which one evening on a later date me and my wife thought of going to Menoka, purchase ticket from the counter. The “Houseful "board was hanging in front of the hall. At the tea shop I inquired about her. One of the serving boys said, ‘You are looking for Mukhpuri, she earned some big money yesterday because this movie has become hit, she must be boozed out!”

We could not purchase tickets in black even.

In the meanwhile, I got transferred and then retired, I had no occasion to go to Menoka cinema hall, did not see her again until I started my morning walk around the lake 3 years back.

But when I first saw that beggar woman who has white patches on her face and hands I was taken aback for a moment as I have seen that face somewhere. I asked Gopal, my driver to find out about her.

Later on Gopal informed me that she is the same girl Mukhpuri who is now known as Pagli, twenty years back she was like a don of Menoka cinema hall, controlling the black market of cinema tickets of the theatre.

I of course did not remind her of that day but started giving money to her every day. She is still sharp, she knows my car and when she sees me coming out of the gate of the lake she calls out for Gopal in commanding voice to bring the car. I found her to be in friendly terms with the guards and policeman at the gate. Even in tatters she is always in smiles and keeps commenting on those hawkers, drivers, guards.
In the meanwhile Gopal brought the car and i got in,from the window i looked at the vacant space of Pagli and tried to superimpose that with the vibrant young face of Mukhpuri which i saw 20 years back.

Disclaimer: Partly true and rest a spin.