Portrait of a citizen.

[Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi]

The cart is heaped with chikoos. In the gathering darkness, the brown-skinned fruits are resembling potatoes. Yet the cart glows. The pink bougainvillea, placed by fruit seller Chahat, is brightening up the pile. This evening, the young man graciously agrees to join our Proust Questionnaire series, in which citizens are nudged to make “Parisian parlour confessions”, all to explore our distinct experiences.

Your favourite flower.
No, it is not these pink flowers that I pluck daily from a roadside hedge to decorate my cart. I actually like the rose.

What do you appreciate the most in your friends?
Dost ban gaye dushman (friends have turned enemies).
Paisa hain paas
Toh duniya hain paas
Paisa na hon paas
Toh yeh mela hai udas Lal Qile ka
(If you have money with you
Then the world is with you
If you don’t have money
Then even the Red Fort fairground stays sunk in gloom)

Your favourite occupation.
Maa ki khidmat (serving my mother). She lives in our hometown in Badayun district. Daddy has died. His kami (absence) keeps me sad.

Your idea of misery.
I feel miserable whenever I don’t sell well during the day. Sometimes the day turns out to be very bad—especially when there is a rain, or a storm. All my fruits then get ruined.

If not yourself, who would you be?
I wanted to be a doctor, but couldn’t attend school.

Where would you like to live?
It isn’t a thing that depends on my will. Here in Delhi, I park my cart on the pavement at night and sleep on top of it. Sometimes I don’t manage to sell all the maal (goods), and the unsold fruits remain piled on the cart. On those nights, I sleep on the pavement beside it.

Faults for which you have the most tolerance.
When people hurl gaaliyan (abuses) at me. I tolerate the insults for two reasons. First, God is watching, and He will take care of it. Second, I know my status in Dilli, where I’ve been working for years. I’m a pardesi, I’m not from this city, so better to stay out of trouble.

What is your present state of mind?
I’m feeling very tired. I want to rest.