A Blind Man in The Red Light Zone

Beggars Can also be choosers

Ved Mehta in his autobiography “Face To Face” says “No matter how well trained one was in mobility, how well adjusted to a seeing society, there were always some lampposts left out of one’s calculations.”

The lampposts are made by society to facilitate nocturnal activities of human beings. In literature night stands for spiritual death, a lack of faith, darkness of the soul or it may be peace and tranquility, an end of the road, a well lived day. Night ceases natural shadows and natural vision. John Donne in his poem “A lecture upon the shadow” talks metaphorically about love and vision. The 'dream vision' is divine in origin and helps artists in shaping the destiny of mankind. The power has blinded this man who is currently wandering in the street of whores. He does not have any self-respect. Otherwise, he would not have been here. The street is full of many lampposts, erected randomly. The blind man was an expert in making fluid movement in crowded places. What appeared as chaos to a seeing man was a pattern for the blind man. But, he was deceived by the randomness of lampposts. His logical mind was unable to find a pattern in their randomness. Therefore, he chose to walk randomly and was saved. He wore black goggles to hide his blindness. He had no deliberate objective in visiting the street.

He was hurt, when he could not buy things with money. He had full faith in the power of money. He was walking on the street of tainted souls. In every soul, he saw his own face, more tainted. His third eye, which had saved him from colliding with any lamppost, provided no rescue from colliding to tainted souls. His frustration grew after every collision. They have made everything saleable and he acquired power to purchase anything. Now he was not sure if he made more compromises to acquire that power, or the girls in the street have made more compromises to sell off themselves. If the body is the gift of God, and to sell it is a sin, then all his companies that sold bottled water, fertilizers, seeds, tobacco, papers, honey and herbs were also unethical. The Blind man had sharp ears. He could listen to the footsteps of many shadows chasing him, as he could hear the artificial moans and groans across the street.

The Blind man felt a strange kind of tension mounting in him. He had long back asphyxiated his conscience and was sure that his bruised ego would be soothed by the act of display of his power. He believed that Gold is the best aphrodisiac in the world. He liked to preserve his money in the form of gold. He had used tones of gold to make the floor of his swimming pool. He no more trusted his instincts. He had maintained only those relations which were useful to him. He never looked down the memory lane, and resolved that it was just an imposter who had seized his memories as himself. Strangers are repulsive.

He smelled various kinds of perfume in the street. He had no liking for perfumes. He still loved the pure aroma of flowers. He did not understand this dichotomy of his character. His whole life was artificial and purposeless. The natural aroma had a purpose. It could awaken his sleeping conscience.

He heard a female mellifluous voice. The voice was enough proof of her other effeminate qualities. As soon as the girl came to know that he is blind, she threw him out. His money could not tempt her. The deprived and destitutes have become the mainstream of society. They have conspired against the haves. Beggars have become choosers.

The Blind man was stuck in the red light zone.

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©  Vipin Behari Goyal