A Packet of Resistance

A woman has a figure, a man a physique;

- Chinki Sinha

A father roars in rage, a mother shrieks in pique;

Broad-shouldered athletes throw what dainty damsels toss,

And female bosses supervise-male bosses boss.

Lads gulp, maids sip:

Jacks plunge, Jills dip;

Guys bark, dames snap;

Boys punch, girls slap;

Gobs swab, WAVES mop;

Braves buy, squaws shop.

A gentleman perspires, a lady merely glows;

A husband is suspicious; a wife, however, knows.

Man & Woman-The Great-Man Thoughts by William Walden

WHEN I got out of the airport at Patna this evening, I was greeted by a woman dressed in a salwar, sweat running down her face, clutching a handbag and asking the passengers if they needed an auto.

“Do you need an auto?”

I didn’t, but I asked her if she had been driving an auto for a long time. Not very long, she said.

There were five of them there.

I wanted to tell her she should get pockets stitched to her kurta.

Like I do.

Large ones. It helps. There is a strange freedom in not holding a handbag, in defying the expectation of accessorising ourselves.

I have to keep reminding the tailor to put them in on both sides. He is very amused by these demands, like me wanting big pockets like how men have. Maybe even deeper. On both sides, too.

I tell him I don't want to carry a handbag.