Heera (real name differs for privacy) is always a Go-to
person who never failed to give a perfect solution. She did it any which way
she could but this was her way of solving any problem and never failed a
solution seeker. From pounding a picker of pockets (small thief) to hunting a
kidnapper and beating him to pulp till the wrong doer is tossed into prison
admired by a chain of onlookers .
How much I admire this woman in the neighborhood of a
friend. As a child Heera earned her livelihood through accomplishing
skullduggery jobs. Her wide ranging jobs began with running errands or fetching
dry clothes from the terrace. By the age of twelve she dropped out of school
but was fluent in English and Hindi.
Heera, a diamond to her beneficiaries, bloomed from a tomboy
to a full time bully then a woman gangster. After marriage she withdrew into a
household with a docile husband. Years fled past but after the blooming of
three offsprings came the halt to her feminity. By then she learned to play
cards, graduated to gamble and booze. Lost touch with the civilized(?) world
and all her husband could do was puff like a chimney and drink like a fish from
sundown to sunrise. Call of Providence for reversal of roles. The husband
fetched food from a nearby restaurant and he would also baby-sit the kids.
The kids learned to stand on their feet without asking for
mom’s help, though she was a non-stop ATM for them. At times she barked or
roared and sad to add to it the drinks also drenched and drowned her feminine
streak. Her husband only whimpered by her side, looking lost always, fumbling
with car keys as any moment he would get orders to start the car. He was often
seen petting neighbours’ dogs sometimes
stray dogs too!
Religious streak an earnest hobby
Heera a godmother of sorts for all and sundry, none missed
to acknowledge her religious tendency to visit temples or religious places. Sindoor smeared o her forehead haphazardly to endorse that pious mood.
She had this unique knack of tapping the
fountain of money. She kowtowed high and low to see that her handsome son got a
job with airlines company. The boy was
clever and learned the tricks of the trade and went job hopping from one
airlines to another. Heera shifted to the city where he was posted. The earth
is round so Heera was back in Delhi in a distant suburb strutting about with
her husband in tow as a part time driver, cook, father, except being a husband.
The son abandoned her for obvious reasons.The two other siblings followed like him.
Neighbour’s envy
Heera’s nefarious ways also won admiration because she was
an inseparable link between the local police and a reputed lawyer. You cannot
catch her at the crime spot.
One day a neighbor had complained to her of his teenage
daughter eloping with a vagabond. Heera knew where to find him, the vagabond,
got him arrested and today, believe it or not he is her stooge gliding from one
job to another.
Lifestyle change
Today Heera moves in sleek cars with a paid chauffeur (not
husband), two bouncers and a hand bag full of cell phones. Her rise from a
small time maid to a Godmother is ecstatic to observe. Never will she fail to pass
a crooked smile through crooked lips and a mouthful of ‘pan’ masala. The men in the neighbourhood withdraw
the moment they see her car enter/leave. I feel perplexed to gauge my
admiration for Heera. Do you know she donates a lot of money to girls’
orphanages even today. She is friendless, hardly a mother, many punters on her
phonelist.
She has suffered a couple of heart attacks and has survived.
She keeps popping pills when she isn’t drinking but all dread her. Apparently
she is nothing less than a modern day despot in behaviour. Would you dare to
invite her for dinner? No, I wouldn’t mind. She has the power of ten CEOs put
together or even more.
Heera kaam hua? ‘Perfect’ is her answer.
She is a perfect go-to person 24x7. A good fixer of
problematic situations and forever busy, she is available to family, friends
and foes. Always positive and forward looking but never sulks at problems.
She moves in all white ensemble; she is tall (5’10”) hefty
and loud. Always dressed in white salwar –kurta. An Amazon that invites trouble
and solves them in a jiffy. A godmother who is no Robin Hood but loves to flaunt her power with elan.
A biopic on this character is awaited .
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