Robert Hirschfield finds that in Calcutta, “the pavement speaks to you.”
Image: aayushgoel
THE WOMAN on Sudder Street in her yellow sari, with her little baby, with her hand outstretched, is tiny.
But she is many women.
She is waiting for me when I sneak out of Flury’s with my chocolate brownie.
Her voice rubs against my feet at night when I return home from visiting Bharat and Vinita, at Earthcare Books.
In Calcutta, the pavement speaks to you.
Where her body ends, a space begins that I leap through. Or try to. Inside the space is the border I packed without knowing it.
For a rupee or two, she will help me set it up. It is a lazy border. Completely without a philosophy. Pragmatic as toothpaste.
Actually, she falls away so easily. “No,” you say. And she is gone.
It’s dismaying. Why do I always say “No?” Even when I give her rupees, it’s always after first saying “No.”
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8 Comments... join the discussion!
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Robert I really enjoyed this piece. ‘Maf karo’ was a phrase I learned early in Pakistan and used often, although not without feeling the tension you describe.
For the eds, got to be honest that I feel uncomfortable sharing this piece since many of my Pakistani friends and readers would find the photo to be inappropriate. I think it’s a beautiful, intimate shot, but would definitely draw attention away from the writing for some readers.
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thanks heather,
1. for the comment and
2. for the transparency about not wanting to share the piece b/c of the photo.to me the ‘inappropriateness’ is part of that ‘border’ that robert describes in this piece.
is it ‘inappropriate’ b/c the woman is breastfeeding her child?
is it ‘inappropriate’ b/c she’s begging for food?
is my selection of this photo exploiting this woman somehow?
was the photographer who took it exploiting her?
do you think he or she gave the woman money?
is all of this writing about her / questioning her ‘appropriateness’ here in a comment on an online post in some way just reducing her into a symbol or an abstract concept, which effectively dehumanizes her (and us)?
what do you call the emotion you feel when you see her picture, her face and breast, and think ‘damn, she’s really beautiful actually,’ but are afraid to admit it or even ‘let yourself feel it’ because doing so is disassociating her from her ’story’, something that is another form of reductionism and probably voyeurism as well b/c if you saw her in ‘real life’ you might feel differently?
where does the border of ‘appropriateness’ begin and end?
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Thought provoking questions which could all lead to some great discussion.
In the case of my reaction, its’ basically about the cultural relativism of modesty. More than 50% of my readers and Facebook friends are 1) conservative (I’m using this in reference only to dress, not politics, religion etc) Pakistani Muslims, 2) conservative Christians. The begging or ‘exploitation’ factor would not likely be an issue, but an almost entirely exposed breast would be.
In context of Pakistan and northern India, women (outside of posh areas) are expected to be covered. Leaving your dupatta (large scarf) at home or not using it fully cover your chest – in addition to your clothing – is seen as being close to naked. Even just seeing the contours of a woman’s body often makes people uncomfortable. This is why the ‘wet sari’ scene is so risque in Bollywood movies.
A friend of mine went into a theater where the equivalent of soft porn was being shown, and local men were getting off just watching girls without their scarves running around on the screen. The girls were still wearing shalwar-kameez and completely covered by western standards.
So with that in mind, you might be able to imagine how me sharing a link to this article would be kind of like sending a link to an X-rated site.
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I love the brevity and truth of this piece.
This is travel, writing.↵ -
Great article.
Great comma Josh.
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i love this piece.
the borders seperating “us” and “them” are set up from both sides and are often worsened when you are trying to help, or maybe your just trying to find relief for your guilt.↵ -
Beautiful piece. Robert – I always really enjoy your work. It’s so minimalist-evocative.
Fav line: “Her voice rubs against my feet at night…”
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