रविवार, 29 नवंबर 2009

A MUST-READ!!!

hey some of u mst b knowing dat my rsch topic 4 SB's papr is-REPRESENTATION OF DISABILITY IN HINDI FILMS IN THE LAST FIFTY YRS.i ws jst surfing d net to collect sm material for it....i came upon dis splendid story...i thot i mst share it wid all of u..it is rather longish...but plz go ahead n read it....plz...i assure u its worth d effort..really :)

DISABILITY CERTIFICATE

On a train to Xi'an, a pretty attendant glared at middle-aged man who looked like a migrant worker and said loudly, "Ticket check."

The middle-aged man searched all over, and finally found it, but he held in his hand. The attendant looked at him queerly, and laughed. "This is a children's ticket."

The middle-aged man flushed, and stuttered out, "Isn't a children's ticket the same price as a disabled ticket?"

The attendant eyed the middle-aged man once over, and asked, "Are you a disabled person?"

"I am a disabled person!" "Then let me have a look at your disability certificate."
The middle-aged man tensed up. He said, "I don't have a disability certificate. When I bought the ticket, the ticket-seller asked me for my disability certificate, and I had no choice but to buy a children's ticket."

The attendant forced a smile: "Without a disability certificate, how can you prove that you are disabled?"

Without saying a word, the middle-aged man gently took off his shoe and pulled up his pants leg - he only had half a foot.

The attendant gave it a glance, and said, "I need to see documentation! The printed seal of the Disabled Person's Federation."

His face bitter, the middle-aged man explained, "I'm not a resident here, so they wouldn't give me a disability certificate. And I was working at a private construction site. When it happened, the boss disappeared, and I had no money to go to a hospital for an evaluation...."

The conductor, who had been notified, arrived to inquire about the situation.
The middle-aged man explained once more to the conductor that he was a disabled person, and he had bought a ticket whose price was the same as a disabled person's ticket....

The conductor asked, "Your disability certificate?"

The middle-aged man said that he had no disability certificate, and then showed the conductor his half-foot.

Without even looking it over, the conductor said impatiently, "We only acknowledge documentation, not people! People with disability certificates are disabled people, and only those with disability certificates can enjoy disabled persons' tickets. Hurry and buy a supplemental ticket!"

The middle-aged man was crushed.

He searched through all his pockets and luggage, but only came up with a few yuan, not enough to make up the ticket price. With a tearful face he said to the conductor, "After half my foot was crushed off in the machine, I couldn't work anymore. With no money, I couldn't even go home. This half-price ticket I bought with money collected by people from my hometown. I beg you to have compassion and spare me!"

The conductor said resolutely, "That's not possible."

The attendant took this opportunity to say to the conductor, "Let him shovel coal at the front of the train - let him do some volunteer work."

The conductor thought it over, and said, "Good!"

An older comrade sitting opposite the middle-aged man couldn't stand it, so he stood up, looked the conductor straight in the eyes, and said, "Are you or aren't you a man?"

The conductor didn't give an answer: "What does this have to do with whether I'm a man?"

"Just tell me, are you a man?"

"Of course I'm a man." "What proof do you have that you are a man? Give me a look at your Male Certificate!"

The people around them started laughing.

The conductor was taken aback. He said, "I'm a full-blooded male standing right here, you think this is a fake?"

The old comrade shook his head: "I'm like you. I acknowledge documentation, not people. People with Male Certificates are men. No Male Certificate, not a man."

The conductor was stuck. For a moment he didn't know how to respond.

The attendant stood up to help the conductor out of his predicament. She said to the old comrade, "I'm not a man. If you have anything to say, say it to me."

The old comrade pointed at her nose, and said, "You're not even a human!"

The attendant shook with fury, and screamed, "Wash your mouth out! Tell me, if I'm not human, then what am I?!"

The old comrade remained calm, but he smiled slyly as he said, "You're human? OK, then let me have a look at your Human Certificate....."

Once again, everyone around them burst into laughter.

Only one person didn't laugh - the middle-aged man with half a foot. He quietly watched all that went on, and at some point, his eyes started to well with tears, not knowing if this was shame, or appreciation, or hate.

4 टिप्‍पणियां:

  1. Truly amazing-payel. The work deserves oodles of kudos for giving a true insight into the human psyche.
    At surface level it may sound a humorous story, but once u go deeper into the coded meanings, it makes a lot of sense in today's fast growing insensitive world.
    Walk around the street and u can witness in situ passers-by hurling all kinds of disparaging remarks at fellow physically challenged people often caring little for the core human sensitivity.
    Coming back to the story- I mus sympathies with the eccentric bus conductor for his love for proof. Well, it's not about one bus conductor, it's about society. In today's dog-eat-dog world we have become so meticulous with evidences and data that even a naked truth can not be accepted unless backed up with artificial evidences.
    This, for sure, is an indication of how fast human beings as a race is losing natural instincts and becoming more of mechanic bodies-programmed to perfection.
    God save us!
    Thanks again for stirring our consciousness.
    Salivating for another soul-stirring story from yor illustrious pen
    saabaash.......................................
    ankit

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  2. seriously man!!!!wat z hapning to our civlzn??v r becumng robots...sans sympathy,sans feelings,sans emotions...shame on us.u r rite..its nt a qstn of a single bus conductor,bt dat of d entire society.its in a dismal state 2day,only deteriorating day by day...

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  3. gr8 work payel..!!!it a vry subtle n touchng story..
    i agree wd ankit..in todays wrld..we dnt blv wt v see instead we need a certificate fr evrythng..disabilty..ability..as wel as humanity..whr r v heading for as a society..??
    luk arnd ..we as a society hvnt evn accepted disabled b8r stl difrntly abled ppl as a prt of ds society..we eithr luk dwn upon dem of pity dem..y cnt v blv tht thy cn do wt v cn do n in sm cases b8r dn so called abled ppl..(diffrntly abled ppl ve got sm physical problems/defrmities bt trst me d so cld able ppl ve got mental deformities....n mstly incurable..))
    n i dnt thnk v r becmng robots..cz robots do thr tasks..d physical tasks perfectly..we dnt even do dt..dt makes robots b8r dn us..watsay..??
    human bngs ve frgoten al humanity..god knws wts in store fr us..tl tht tym we cn only hope dt humans lrn a lil humanity..

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