Dressed to Fall

A girl in the cage at a Bangkok roadside

There are innumerable ways that people invent to earn money, and the site I saw while on a walk on one of Bangkok’s road is just another such unique way. Bangkok’s roads often revealed whacky, strange and fun moments. This was one such moment. A man had placed a girl inside a cage and few balls outside. The cage has a small button at the top, where contestants can throw balls at. The button is pretty small, compared to the cage. Those participating in the game need to throw the ball and hit the button. If they are successful, the seat on which the girl is seated falls down and the girl is wet, which is apparently the prize for the game!

Dressed rather skimpily, the girl apparently had no problems, maybe because she knew that the ball would never fall in the designated button? I stood to watch the show for nearly half an hour, typically a lot of men had gathered to try their luck, but no one succeeded.  Some game indeed that , perhaps explains the smug smile on the face of the girl.

Interestingly, when out of curiosity I attempted to play, I was told rather sternly, “women not allowed”.. I asked further if he had the same provisions for women hitting a ball to see a man drop in the water, I was given a weird look…But of course!

By Maitreyee B Chowdhury

Maitreyee B Chowdhury is a Bangalore based creative writer and poet. Apart from being a professional web content writer, she is the author of two books on poetry and regional films in India. People watching is a compulsion for her. She is fascinated by ‘ The man on the road’.

The idea of writing about ‘The man on the road’ came naturally, says Maitreyee. “Some of the most compelling, beautiful and bizarre stories unfold on the road. The everyday man’s struggle for existence, his tenacity and the beauty of the stark is what is absolutely fascinating”, she says.

Maitreyee writes for us every month her column, The Man on the Road. She can be contacted at maitreyee@thesipoflife.com