devi

“I dreamed I was in Venice
and everywhere I looked I saw
crooked cat eyes on the water.”

After n article from PRT.
By: Furkan-latif-Khan.
Edited by: ‘napisane przez pożądanego’ Jude Shagter
(Uttar Pradesh)

‘Passersby’

“It’s a busy life. You must keep up with trends, events and holiday demand, things are always changing!”
8th grade was her last. In a nasty, scary incident she tried to defend herself and got hurt. She left school.
Ever since Devi lives outside on a piece of grass patch -she points under a cardigan to her shirt with lace trim- under a tree full of foliage near a busy intersection. Because ‘everybody has priority’ in New Delhi.
Devi sells light balloons. She can’t really read that well, she admits, but can just about make out what the words mean on the posters around to give an idea of what plays in town. Than it’s time to decide what trendy and popular to buy for her customers. She sold flowers until 3 months ago. First roses and carnations but these are considered everyday flowers. She learned orchids and lilies brought in more money. Then one day another sales girl showed up in her territory selling strikingly attractive LED balloons.
“They were amazing” she recalls and appeared to sell much faster! “I instantly knew I wanted them too and sell them” she explains.

With an impaired left arm, Devi struggles to stretch the plastic balloons, tie them with a bag sealer after she inflated them with a manual pump. “I used to peel thorns off roses and wrap them up with one hand!” she laughs. If that didn’t kill me than what can? Her situation may be far from good.. but she truly believes the LED balloons will make for a better future. “And they’re an easier sell than the roses! She used to walk up to every vehicle from early morning to late at night trying to sell the flowers. Now she simply hangs her glittering balloons from a few tree branches hoping to attract the ‘eyes of passersby’.

pers. note: plus elements from ‘The Republic’.