You guys know what a real pain in the ass is? Being a creative person and travelling. Putting it simply, a creative person tends to have creative tools on him/her. These creative tools can range from a pair of scissors, acrylic paints, a stapler to a precision knife. These are basic essentials for a person to express creativity. You know who doesn’t like creative tools? Security guards. Especially the ones at metro stations. Guess what? It’s story time.
I was gifted a pair of scissors by my mother’s friend. Weird gift. Weird friend. Moving on, it was the most gorgeous pair of scissors I had ever seen. No, it was not embedded with jewels or semi-precious stones. It did not have ‘handles of jade’. (Slight nod to all the ISC folks out there. Calm down all you CBSE peeps. Ahh….no. Calm down.) But it did have my heart. My entire heart. It had long silver coloured blades, with some saying etched on the blade in Hindi cursive. I never figured it out. Nonetheless, when I slipped my fingers into its small handle, I knew in my heart, it was an extension of my fingers and together we could manipulate any tangible material. It was my favourite pair of scissors. I still remember the scissor’s feel on my hand. And mind you, it was the best pair of scissors ever made. The absolute best.
Now, if you’re wondering why I’ve used past tense in the previous paragraph, I have some sad news for you. Sad for you, heart-wrenching for me. You’ve probably guessed it by now. It was confiscated by a metro security official when I got my back pack scanned. I saw complete apathy and indifference in the eyes of the security official who wouldn’t budge despite my waterworks. I remember his blank, completely-forgettable expression as he picked up my precious with his gloved hand and threw it into a filthy tray with shady looking objects that he had confiscated before. Pretty happy with his bountiful seizure he sat back down as I glared at him with utter disbelief. I lost a part of my soul that day. I didn’t even get a chance to say a proper goodbye. For all you heartless, analytic thinkers reading this, no. No, I couldn’t have used a different mode of transportation and carried my ‘precious’ with me. There was a time constraint. I had a train to catch in a few hours.
Now let’s contrast this with another metro station security official who understands how important craft tools are. Similar situation, different outcome. There was a train to catch. This time I had a precision knife in my suitcase. Now, for those unaware, a precision knife is like a much better paper cutter, with detachable blades and nearly ten times sharper. Yes, you can easily slit throats with it. Why was I in possession of such a device? Because I was trying out paper-cutting art. You know what? I am explaining to much in this post. This isn’t my research paper. I don’t need to reference citations or provide explanatory footnotes. Just google stuff you don’t understand, henceforth. (Sorry guys, slight detour.) The security guard demanded to have a look at it. I was not about to open my Pandora’s box and spew stuff on the floor of a metro station. Not when I was already running late. This was a cue to activate my Puppy Dog Eyes. They seem to be working their magic on the official, when his superior decides to show up and jerk him out of my hypnotic gaze. Trivial matter to the superior he expressed his disinterest and left soon enough. Now powering up my eyes to full cuteness I guilt tripped the security official and he barely whispered, “Jao.” And that was enough for me. I fled from there. With my precision knife still intact in my suitcase.
I have also been stopped and questioned for bottles of paint in my bag. Separate times for acrylic and chalk paints. Apparently, there could be some sort of objectionable material in the small bottles. Another time, I was asked about ‘pointy, metal things’ in my suitcase. They were earring. Bloody earrings. And let’s not count the times I have had to show a stapler to them. Maybe it is my fault. Maybe I should just stop being creative. Or find ways to be creative without tools. Anyway, isn’t it good to know the security officials are carrying out their duties diligently?
So, apparently, quarantine is not the only thing keeping me away from art supplies.