JOIN USPriya Devi (name changed), on a busy weekday afternoon, spent more than 15 minutes to get a seat in a sharing autorickshaw near Badarpur area. It is from here she was supposed to take the auto to her home. The rickshaw drivers carry more than five people in their vehicle and charge Rs five from each passenger. Devi agreed to pay Rs 10 but was repeatedly refused by every autodriver, eventually forcing her to yell on top of her voice.
Soon a local cop arrived and after a brief argument an auto driver, with much reluctance led Devi towards his autorickshaw. The reason behind the abject humiliation that Devi faced on this day, and every other day, is because she is obese.
Devi lives in the same area and often comes to the Badarpur vegetable market to shop due to the low rates of vegetables here. Buying vegetables, a perfectly normal errand for many, has become a nightmare for Devi.
A homemaker and a mother of two, Devi told Metrolife, that her obesity is a prevailing medical condition which she has been battling for years. What discourages her in her battle against the bulge on a daily basis, is the attitude of people around her.
“I am not a rich woman. I have to take public transport and that’s where I am humiliated the most,” Devi said adding that while a lot of people are sensitive towards her, others deliberately pass rude remarks at her. “I wish that people would stop discriminating when I have to travel. My children come home for lunch and I was supposed to cook for them. I am already 30 minutes late,” she added in a voice dripping frustration and sadness.
According to her she has gotten used to the daily ridicule that she faces, but all she wants is that her ‘abusers’ not take it to a level where it is difficult for her to function. “Every time I leave the house, I think about things like ‘will I be laughed at’ or will I be again refused service or what new humiliation I will witness in the bus,” Devi said moments before she finally got an autorickshaw.
The cop who had come to Devi’s rescue, said that he has been posted in the area since December last year and this was the second time that he had to come to Devi’s rescue. “I don’t know what to say in situations like these. It’s humiliating for us as a society,” the cop said.
The autodrivers meanwhile had their own justifications for their refusal. “It is not only about the money, other passengers complain that they are not seated comfortably,” said Nakul a local autorickshaw driver while putting his case before the cop who catches hold of another autorickshaw driver and urges him to accommodate the woman. Sensing that Devi was about to break down, the autorickshaw driver obliged the cop and agreed to drop Devi to her home. As she walks towards the autorickshaw, Devi wipes the sweat off her forehead and with tears in her eyes thanks the cop for his help.