A String of Strongmen

Leaving Madhya Pradesh and entering Uttar Pradesh, we approach a series of checkpoints. At the first checkpoint, there is a military man sitting in a lawn chair. He is flanked by his assistants who come over and ask for our papers. I give the papers to an assistant who leads me back to the man in the chair. He is dressed in a military uniform and he wears the reflective, large sunglasses that has become synonymous with strongmen and dictators the world over. He checks the papers and whispers something to his assistant. I explain I paid 20 rupees in Goa and that was what I expected to pay here. The assistant leads me behind a tent where two other men are sleeping on a wooden table outside and asks for the money. I give him 20, retrieve my papers, and make my way towards the rickshaw. From behind, I hear the military man address me for the first time. 200 rupees. Having no other recourse, I pay and the rickshaw proceeds to the next checkpoint less than 100 meters away.

At the second checkpoint, they again ask for my papers. I hand over the papers and try to explain the purpose of the rickshaw run, emphasizing that it was not a commercial event. After much bantering, they let us pass through onto the next checkpoint.

There are now two military men at the next barrier. One is sitting in a lawn chair and the other, an Idi Amin look alike, is reclining on a rattan bed. Again I give my papers and after sharing a cigarette, we are free to proceed to the last checkpoint. At no point in this encounter did Idi Amin move or speak. He remained lounging on his rattan bed, tapping his wooden stick against his foot.

At the last checkpoint, I had to appeal several times to three tax collectors at the office before the chariot was allowed to pass and enter Uttar Pradesh. Meanwhile, a crowd of children had gathered around the chariot, their curiosity piqued.

Posted at 11:00AM Jan 06, 2007 by D Bums Comments[0]