Dust, Smoke and Evil Eyes!

I was recently in the city where I was raised - Hyderabad. Since I do not have a vehicle in Hyderabad, I cannot do my customary bitching about traffic and other drivers. Instead I have the privilege of travelling in auto-rickshaws. Invariably, within a few minutes of every auto journey, I reach into my pocket to pull out a handkerchief and block the passage of the wonderful mixture of dust and smoke into my nose. This season, it seemed more severe, maybe because Hyderabad (like most major Indian cities) is in constant 'development' or 'redevelopment' or 'infrastructure enhancement'. I am tempted to use the word repair or disrepair, but that would be rude to the harbingers of development in our modern cities.

Coming back to the issue at hand - smoke and dust - from roads and vehicles. In response to this, I see a large number of two-wheeler drivers (both female and male) cover their entire face while driving to reduce the inhalation of noxious ambient air. And then I see a large number of women wearing burkas. It seems that the practice of subjecting women to wear burkhas in public in hot climates such as Hyderabad (or anywhere in the world) is widely decried by some sections of the population. Many of these burkha-clad women were from a middle/ higher- middle class families and were ostensibly educated (or atleast went to schools or colleges). I was also told (since I am not privy to this observation) that these women remove their burkhas once they get into their colleges. I have assumed for long (from information in stories and essays written by others) that this practise is to protect the presumptuous women from the evil eyes of lecherous men in our society who may hurt these women if they see their faces.

This season after travelling in autos and clutching my kerchief to my nose, I had an epiphany - one that uncovered my mind. I now suspect that the burkha-clad women are protecting themselves not only from the evil eyes but also the evil dust and smoke. I also suspect that some women impose this on themselves (as is evident from the hundreds of others who have followed suit). This way, when the entire world will be contaminated, they will be safe. It is not the meek that will inherit the earth. We won't know who will, because we do not know who they are or what they look like because they covered their faces. So that they can uncover them to see the day that we - the shameless, may not see.