Courting dignity

Two months after I joined this profession, courts became my responsibility. To be honest, I wasn’t disappointed, unlike others, who term courts as a discouraging beat. Today I still find it exciting because there is so much to learn. Courts are the reality of life, lax administration and proof of the saying justice delayed is justice denied.

Well, young and enthusiastic, I confidently walked into the central hall of Tis Hazari. Clad in Lee jeans, Woodland t-shirt and shoes I strolled in, fiddling with my car keys. It was my first visit to Asia’s largest district courts. The confidence with which I walked in was shattered when a group of men just pushed me aside to pave the way for themselves. Before I could stop them, they simply disappeared.

Well forgetting them, I began my search for the courts. As expected, it was tough to find the courtrooms but unexpectedly I felt embarrassed. I could not comprehend the stares fromthe new faces. Forget the men, even women studied me very carefully. I felt like an alien in the corridors of Tis Hazari. The general survival trick of brushing away the stares by saying, “people have a habit of staring,” did not work here. The further I went, the more the stares increased. When I entered the courtrooms, the court staff looked at me in surprise. And I could read their minds.

The following days were the same. Everyday presence made a difference but only with the court staff. Daily visitors, including the police staff, criminals and lawyers, continued to pass those dirty looks. As I became a regular, I started throwing my weight around and ignored them. Although the court staff recognised me, the ambiguous questions continued. So did the stares when I was dressed in a western outfit.

One day, out of sheer curiosity, I decided to wear a sari. Since I was used to wearing one, I was comfortable in it. Briskly walking through the corridors, I started looking for stories like any other day.After a long gap, I felt like an outcaste again amongst the lot. In retrospect it was back to the first day in the court.

After reaching the first court, I got the answer. “Madam, you should wear saris. It looks better than those western outfits,” came a compliment. The comments did not stop there. But unlike the first day, when I came to the court, this was a different experience. Woman looked up to me and men regarded me with respect. The giggling I used to hear when I visited the court in a western outfit was absent. Although the whispering continued, it was evident that it was not to demean me or make me feel uncomfortable.

Well, the sari did not continue for long. After a week-long transformation, I changed back to my jeans and t-shirt. “For comfort’s sake,” was my reply to the inquisitive questions about the change.