A Book is Judged by its Cover

A Book is Judged by its Cover

My visit with my 61 year old handicapped (with a history of spasticity) sister on a wheelchair to the High Street Phoenix, Lower Parel, Mumbai on Sunday 18 August 2013, just three days after our beloved country celebrated it’s 67^th Independence Day, perhaps, proves this.

Dressed in casual trouser/shirt & chappals, I approached the entrance to the Palladium where I was surprised, nay shocked, to find my entry blocked by the Security personnel, who tried to turn me away by saying that the door to the Big Bazaar side was closed. I told him that I had been here on 15^th August, 2013 and it was open then, how come it was closed now? He put me onto his senior who held us up at the gate for more than twenty minutes, whilst he was communicating with a senior manager.

People were entering through the Palladium gates and my sister was getting fretful and I was losing patience. I asked the security person to state on what basis he was refusing entry to me and my handicapped sister. But he had no answer to this. I found this quite infuriating. It made a few people stop and turn their heads. But it took two ladies (one named Ismat) and a gentleman to intervene in this situation. They told the Security person that they knew a very senior person managing this mall complex. The gentlemen also added they were from The Times of India and this issue could really hit in the media in a big way. This was communicated to the senior manager by the security person, who now came rushing to the gates. We were allowed inside. My sister likes ice-cream.  So I bought her a softee cone at McDonald’s. Ismat and the other lady who had helped us came and met us near McDonald’s.  To pacify us and assuage the hurt, another manager came. Lunch was offered. But I refused. We were provided an escort to Big Bazaar where I did my shopping and was escorted to the exit and a taxi outside.

After the Reliance Fresh Signature Store incident, this somewhat similar experience, has forced me to think beyond the reasons for their occurrence and recurrence. More than anger, which, of course, is there initially, these incidents sadden me.

The handicapped individual is almost a persona non grata, unproductive,  a dead investment generally in the eyes of most people. The alms-seeking beggar- stereotype of a person in a wheelchair must change. Unless this happens at the individual level and positive thoughts/concept translate into action, no amount of governmental measures or efforts by NGOs shall change the world of the handicapped in India, in any substantial manner.

My email to Mr.Mukesh D.Ambani is now an OPEN email to Mr.Mukesh D. Ambani

From:
Shakir Roshanali Virpurwala
3/10 The Hajiali Municipal Officers CHS Ltd, Govt. Colony Road, Nr.
Lala Lajpatrai College, Haji Ali Park, Mumbai – 400 034 (INDIA) Tel:
8898041648 Mobile: 8097960591 / 9221108353 email:
shakirvirpurwala@gmail.com, shakirvirpurwala@yahoo.com

Email To:
Mr. Mukesh D. Ambani
Chairman – Reliance Group of Industries
Email: Mambani@ril.com

Ref: My visit to Reliance Fresh Signature Store, Shop No.5 Tirupati
Apartments, Off Mahalaxmi Temple, Bhulabhai Desai Road, Mumbai
400026. On 10th August 2013 at 2.00 p.m.

Sub: Unbecoming, rude and humiliating behavior of the Security personnel.

Respected Sir,

I have always believed and as is generally perceived, that the
Reliance Group of Industries, especially the retail consumer catering
chains like Reliance Communications and Reliance Retail Limited have
always held protecting the profit margins as the mainstay/priority in
their primer of corporate/work philosophy/ethos. Often this is at the
cost of customer service and satisfaction. But my recent experience to
Reliance Fresh Signature Store, Shop No.5 Tirupati Apartments, Off
Mahalaxmi Temple, Bhulabhai Desai Road, Mumbai 400026 on 10th August
2013 at 2.00 p.m. went far beyond this.

A little introductory background is necessary before I proceed to my
core complaint. I am a post-graduate (M.A.) in English Literature. I
have a 61 year old bonafide handicapped (with a history of spasticity)
sister, who I stay with at the above address. Since October 2012 she
has been, bed-ridden initially and then confined largely to the
wheelchair due to left femur fracture for which she was operated
twice. I am the only caretaker in the house and she cannot be left
alone for extended period of time. I used to do my groceries, fruits &
vegetables shopping from the Byculla or Dadar market, but since our
ailing mother expired in 2012, I was forced for economy of logistics
to shop from nearby Reliance Fresh Stores at Tardeo, Mumbai Central
and Bhulabhai Desai Road. The Tardeo store closed some years ago and
the Mumbai Central store is quite far. The most accessible store for
us is at Bhulabhai Desai Road, off Mahalaxmi Temple, to which I can
easily wheel-chair my sister in a few minutes. I normally park her
wheelchair on the side of the road, under the shade of a tree from
where she can view the inside of the store. I am constrained to leave
her outside because Reliance Fresh Signature Store, Shop No.5 Tirupati
Apartments, Off Mahalaxmi Temple, Bhulabhai Desai Road, Mumbai
400026 is not a handicapped-user-friendly store.

On 10th August 2013, I reached Reliance Fresh Signature Store, Shop
No.5 Tirupati Apartments, Off Mahalaxmi Temple, Bhulabhai Desai
Road, Mumbai 400026 at about 2.00 p.m.with my sister on the wheelchair
Since there were cars parked along the whole side of the road, I took
her onto the footpath and parked her wheelchair unobtrusively on the
footpath, carefully avoiding obstructing the Entrance & Exit of the
store. No sooner had I done this, the security person came charging
and bellowed that ‘Yahan nahi khadaa rakhne ka, aap udhar-uidhar
(pointing) aage lagao’ There was something in his tone, which I could
not detect at the time.I asked him why and he said ‘Nahi, yahan hamare
sab customers aate-jaate hai. Tum udhar aage lagao.’ I told him that I
have parked the vehicle in such a way that neither the customers
entering nor those leaving will be inconvenienced. But, he still
repeated what he had said earlier. This time I sensed what his tone
was implying. He had somehow jumped to the conclusion that we were a
begging-couple seeking alms! I looked at him squarely in the eyes and
asked ‘Aap spasht roop se kahiye. Aap kya kehna chahtein hain?’ Now he
wavered a little and started realizing his mistake. One of the
employees of the store also came and whispered something to him. He
changed his stance and tone suddenly. He said that my sister cries and
asks for me and this disturbs the customers. But by then the damage
and humiliation was done. I said I am a customer, too. By way of right
my handicapped sister should also be granted access to the store. But
the store architects and designers never seem to have given a thought
to this and maybe this should be brought to (your) Mr. Mukesh Ambani’s
notice.’

The smaller issue which this incident raises is: A customer coming to
a Reliance Fresh Signature Store in a car is a valued client and one
who comes in a wheelchair is a beggar? Was the security person, at the
store, justified in the conclusion that he jumped to? And why should
the Reliance Fresh chain of stores not be handicapped-user /
wheelchair friendly?

One of the larger issue lies in the way of the world. When it comes to
taking, exploiting, benefitting (call it what you may) the world
squeezes every ounce of juice out of you and then, like dried pulp,
leaves you to waste? They say life is the best teacher. My variegated
experience-filled life has taught me many things. As an individual, as
a friend, as a teacher I have shared these ‘Teachings of Life’ most
generously, for I have always believed that insights / knowledge
shared does not diminish/reduce/lessen but it only
increases/multiplies manifold and when translated into positive
feelings, thoughts and action makes humanity at large, evolve. Today,
my world is limited to the care and improving the quality of life, of
my handicapped sister, which brings me to the prime issue of attitude,
towards the handicapped, of Society at large which is epitomized by
the thoughts and actions of the security person in the incident I have
related. A handicapped individual is a stereotype, a beggar, to be
kept away. The welfare of the handicapped is the concern of the
government and NGO’s. But that will not change anything significantly
until the attitude, the feelings, the thoughts for the handicapped
change at the base level with individuals and translate positively
into helpful action.

--
Warm Regards
*Shakir Roshanali Virpurwala* *M.A. **( English Literature )
*E N G L I S H L A N G U A G E S K I L L S E N H A N C E M E N T
*English Teacher / Online Spoken & Written English Tutor / Personal Trainer
/ Copywriter*


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