Is It Prejudice? Or Am I being Realistic?

Every road has a lamp post. Every lamppost has a bulb which glows. May be not everyone glows in my country. But there is yet another certainty with this lamppost. During the wee hours of the night, this lamppost which is positioned in all the major roads of my city shall bore the weight of a vigilant (at the least for being awake he deserves this adjective) policeman. He may put his weight all over it or park his siren fitted bike or the car below this lamp. His duty is to check over the movement of vehicles and to spot if at all any illegal transport coming in to the city. They are indeed the best suited for the job. Their vigilance is always a steep exponentially rising curve which reaches its peak over the last few days of the month. This strong culture cultivated by a few ambitious men had made a very bad impression on the hearts of every common man, at least those who travel the city in a vehicle. Every now and then the rule breakers are caught and made to bear a sum which is based on his position in the society and which is off course lesser than the penalty he is indebted to. It's not something new that I'm trying to publicize here but this is a age old practice which could better be left as such otherwise this could stir quite a huge angry mob. But then my intention is not to stir that anger.

Once I took over certain responsibilities in my college I started to stay back late in the night in the college and leave very early in the morning. For nearly one month I had been doing this without being questioned by any lamppost authority over the entire stretch of my ride back to home. On one such early winter morning I was sleepily driving my bike with some music in the earphone when the silhouette in the lamppost moved and came over to the road. The entire stretch was calm with no vehicles passing and off course I was accelerating to the maximum of my bikes capability. Seeing this human figure advancing my immediate reaction was to cut him through and advance forward. Then a serious thought occurred what if this guy was so desperate that he might chase me till the end. I just recollected my actions and was confident that I had made no mistakes in my ride and was not going to be charged for law breaking. Just then an even more intimidating reality struck me. "Do these people need reason to brand someone?" This painful thought brought me back to senses and just had the time stop my bike just In front of the figure which had advanced in front of the vehicle. He dint remove my key from the bike immediately after I stopped which really puzzled me because it was the formal procedure of these guys. He just turned over to another guy in civilian clothes and asked him to come forward. All these actions brought in much more fear and made me sweet even in that cool weather. "How much are they going to charge?" was the only thought running in me. The guy who had stopped my vehicle began to speak "hey boy, May I know where are you heading towards in this time of the night?" I replied" to my house Sir, I just had some work in my college" "very well then, which way is your house" I replied his question for which he stroked back turning to his friend" that's exactly the place where you were heading right my friend?" I indeed got h shocked. I wasn't able to make what where his intentions. This very insecurity burnt me to the core and I was still sweating. He just turned over to me and asked "would you be kind enough to allow my friend travel with you, he shall get down near your house." Was all these build up just for requesting a ride? Why hasn't he charged me? Is there something seriously wrong happening here? Maybe he is gone out of his mind. Or maybe he is being kind ad good. But then isn't it out of context for a guy like him to be kind and good.

On the outset this may appear to be a not so great post but then there is a serious note to it. The very intentions of mine thinking that if at all any lamppost guy stops a vehicle he is definitely intending to book somebody itself shows that the cruel actions of a few unjust men have made a strong scar in the hearts of countless men like me. But then there has to be exceptions in any area and even here there had to be one. Maybe this guy whom I met that day could have been that exception. At least for the common crowd to spot such spotless personalities a complete overhaul of every human mind has to be done by these men and has to create a positive impact on us. May be I'm becoming pretty ambitious now for every one of us know that this is beyond the realms of our universe for these men of cruel attitude to change themselves.