ARDHNARISHWAR

ARDHNARISHWAR

16-SEP-ENG 2

RAJIV NAYAN AGRAWAL

ARA-------------------------At the central intersection of the city, this eunuch owned a tea and samosa shop. Passers-by would stop by to sample the samosas and tea, so there was always a large crowd.

I don't know the shopkeeper's real name, but people addressed him as Medium, Tali, Madhyam, Beechwale Bhaiya, Kinnar, and various other names like Pooja Begum. He never took offense to anyone's words. He always responded with a smile, which is why people flocked to his shop. Conduct matters a lot in business, and he knew this well.

Some young men would even joke with him, saying, "You can earn more just by clapping, so why so much hard work?"

He would smile and reply casually, "There's a joy in the bread of hard work. You'll experience the taste when you earn and eat. If you want to know more, ask this boy." Then he would point to the boy who worked at his shop, who was small and innocent. People would laugh and leave.

Among the passers-by at that intersection were schoolgirls, as the Government Girls' School was located just a hundred steps away.

It was nine in the morning that day. The intersection was crowded, and a few people were also standing at his tea stall. Two girls were walking past the shop to go to school when three men on a motorcycle began teasing them, passing by. They were passing lewd remarks, and the two girls looked around helplessly, frightened. Some people watched as the incident unfolded as mute spectators. A man on a motorcycle pulled a girl's scarf and began waving it around in a filmy style. Another boy with him laughed, brandishing a knife, so that no one in the crowd would dare stop them. It all unfolded like something out of a movie.

Just then, the tea seller ran out of his shop and gave the motorcyclist a hard push. All three boys fell off their motorcycles. They had no idea such a thing could happen. But this was a matter of conscience awakening, a cry for humanity, a woman's cry that awakened a soul.

After falling on the road, the three boys woke up with a start. By the time the tea seller had snatched the dupatta from their hands, he had covered the girl's body.

The tea seller then caught the boy with both his hands. He was confident that some men would come forward to support him. But nothing happened. He continued to fight the ruffians alone. This sudden, unexpected attack frightened the ruffians. One quickly picked up the motorcycle and started it. The other, seeing that the tea seller was holding his companion tightly, slashed the tea seller's hand with a sharp knife, but the tea seller's grip remained firm. Seeing the situation worsen, he stabbed again three or four times. This time, the knife pierced the tea seller's stomach, and a torrent of blood gushed out. The tea seller's grip loosened, and he fell onto the road. The ruffians fled with the motorcycle. The tea seller was lying on the road, blood gushing out at a rapid pace. His eyes were closed. The girl sat beside him, crying. The crowd stood watching like spectators. And the silence at the intersection kept asking one question after another: Who is the eunuch at this intersection?