It may be just another of those starkly typical days. One
stares in amused consternation at the two ladies struggling to manage their
enormous shopping bags, while trying to place themselves strategically on the
auto seats. One of them, in the mad rush of describing the important personal
“shits” (the Bengali tongue chooses not to make an effort to extend the vowel
sound during emergencies) that have been faxed to department so-and-so,
suddenly loses a shoe, which slips under the auto. After it has been rescued
and the minute hand has been given sufficient time to cause a mini heart
attack, one tries to settle comfortably in the front seat, with the bag pressed
to one’s chest, to avoid an inevitable tussle with driver’s elbow(or probably,
out of practice). The auto swerves through Bikramgarh “horn”-ing its way
through a crowd of cycles and cows, forcing out an impulsive “uf” from the
little petite man who is fighting to keep his cool despite obvious reasons for
worry as evident from his frequent phone calls.
Almost 12. The metro must be pulling out of the station now,
with people hanging on to waists and hands and limbs precariously as the doors
slide shut. There is of course no hope to attend the first class anymore so one
relaxes the muscles and leans back to wonder about the next class. Another auto
zooms by in the opposite direction-one smiles at the ghosts of the couple
seated at the back, one of them explaining something with a passionate
vehemence to his recalcitrant listener who is lost in her own doubts and
speculations. If one is lucky however, one may find a known face with shining
curls bouncing all around the headphones stuck into his ears, as he hops across
the road.
The phone may ring. It may a sudden invitation for spending
the evening out at a newly discovered coffee shop in Mudiali. Or not. The auto
is coming to a stop now. One may find in utter dismay the paucity of “khuchro”s
in the purse and start making a pathetically tragic face to beg the auto driver
to accept the fifty rupees note. The next metro may leave too. Sigh.