Woman’s Wages
By Patnala Iswara Rao
—
Translated by Sai Padma Murthy
———
Alugolu[1]
bus is running along the Nellimarla[2]
river to Ramatheerdhalu[3].
Ramatheerthalu Hill is visible far away- like a finely polished, single
stone.
A little
away, a man is waving his hand to stop the bus. A woman was beside him carrying
a child. The bus stopped.
“Baboo![4] Is
it Alugolu bus?”
“Yeah!”
the conductor’s voice is mingled with the noise of the bus door as it opened.
He is
wearing a pancha[5]
that is barely covering his knees, and a tee shirt, torn and foul-smelling. He
is looking like a xerox copy of the country’s economic system.
“How much
fare to Alugolu, Baboo….?” He asked wiping his face with a sweaty towel.
“One and a half
rupee”
“How much
for my lady, Baboo??” The passangers in the bus burst into a big laughter.
“Naidu[6]
sir! It is same fare either for ladies or your highness. Total three rupees,”
answered the conductor sarcastically, with a twisted smile.
People in the bus laughed roaring
again..
The man could understand the meaning of
such laughs.
“In our
village, we all work the hardest, from sunrise to sunset, and they never pay
the same wages to our ladies as they give us Baboo! That’s why I asked,” said
Naidu.
The
bus left.
Outside
the sun is showing his glory.
