Bengaluru: Motorists would brush past her, while others would hurl abuses at her, but with a whistle and a diary in her hand, standing amidst the deafening traffic, smog and sweltering humidity, Nagarathana stood her ground and continued to control traffic at the Koramangala 5 block near the BMTC Depot.
A single parent and a widow at 44, the female traffic warden battles discrimination along with traffic on a daily basis. At times, irate motorists, desperate to overtake, ignore her hand signals and pass by Nagarathana recklessly, almost mowing her down.
But the woman stands firm and takes everything in her stride, setting the perfect example for woman power. “There is no respect in this job. Motorists, at times, abuse me, call me names and a few even laugh at me when I am directing the traffic. Because I am a woman, motorists look down upon me and do listen to what I say, they brush past me giving me a disgusted look and drive away,” said Nagarathana.
A thankless job
She travels nearly 180 kilometers every day, to reach her office in Adugodi from Ramanagara. At a salary of just Rs 12,000 per month, and a shift that stretches until 9 pm and which starts from 1 pm, working for over eight hours a day, leaving her minor daughter alone at home, Nagarathana, deals with a sea of monstrous vehicles every day.
“It has been six years. I am braving the pollution, the discrimination, abuse and ire of fierce and prejudiced motorists daily,” rues the traffic warden.
When she started working as a traffic warden, Nagarathana would initially feel depressed when motorists would misbehave with her, but now she believes that it takes a heart of steel to stand amidst such people and there is no point worrying for their safety when they themselves are not worried. “Now, I have grown stronger and don’t care about what they are saying to me. After all it is their life, their safety,” she added.
Initially, whenever a need arose to attend nature’s call, there was no proper place or facility for Nagarathana. The authorities, with the help of a petrol bunk located just next to the junction, opened their toilets for her, as they understood her plight as a woman.
No help from counterparts
“What facilities can we provide you with, when we ourselves do not get any?
These are some of the replies that traffic wardens constantly get, especially, women — whenever they approach their higher-ups in the department regarding toilets,” says, Nagarathana.
Considered one of the busiest intersections at Koramangala 5th Block, Nagarathana, stands there at her post without any shade, water, proper mask or even safety gear. In case of an emergency, she can’t rely on her counterparts belonging to the traffic or law and order department.
“There have been times, when we have been faced with emergency-like situations and whenever we have asked for help, we haven’t gotten any!”
She continues, “Just recently, while a colleague of mine who was deputed near the Wipro junction, was manning traffic, an errant motorist mowed her down and ran over her. Not a single person came forward to help. Even the traffic policemen on duty turned a blind eye and continued with their work. I rushed her to a nearby hospital immediately with the help of a few of my friends. This is the sorry plight of traffic wardens in the city,” points out Nagarathana.
The life of traffic wardens are beyond 'chai–paani', says Nagarathana. With a meager salary of Rs 12,000, Nagarathana, has to manage her household expenses and has sent her daughter to school. Her face brightens up when asked about her daughter back home in Ramanagara, who prays for her mother’s well-being and safety daily.
