That evening..., Mr.Vamshi and myself went out for a bit of grocery shopping leaving the puttars at home..we went by bike..at the last moment I wondered if it would rain..and decided it was unlikely- and anyway we would be back soon, I reasoned.
We picked the groceries from the supermarket - sweets for the younger puttar- to take to school- (its his star b’day today)… and then loitered around picking this and that ..we ran into two “gang mates” of Mr Vamshi- (members of his “sabha” post- dinner buckwaas session at our colony park every evening)- and just as we were to step out- it began raining real heavily…
My first thought was about the puttars at home…I asked for a polythene bag ( yup, am guilty of harming the eco system now and then) , to use as a cap for Vamshi- he had just recovered from cold and flu- and was still coughing..I had my faithful duppatta…we ran into the little cofeeday shop opposite the supermarket- to get coffee powder.our friends were also with us…the rains increased in fury and I kept thinking of how Ivan would have been- here, I was shivering with just a nasty regional shower…suddenly a real loud thunder rumbled and lightning flashed- the power would go any moment now- was thinking of my puttars..when Mr.Vamshis’s cell rang- it was the elder puttar- asking us to stay put in the shop and not venture in the rains, and return only when the rains decreased..that we need not worry abt them..he said they had the torches handy, and anyway the emergency lamp had just been repaired that afternoon…I was relieved for a while….was reminded that I had to yet cook dinner, was planning something elaborate, but now looked like I would have to concoct something from the left over rice and palak curry…mentally configured a presto recipe…
Mr. Vamshi was enjoying casual banter with his friends, and I was fidgety- there were these electric wires snaking the wall just behind me- and I imagined a short circuit going up in flare any moment- I cringed…the roads were already flooding- the barrier between the gutters and road had ceased to be and now was flowing as one…the waters were fast climbing the steps of the little coffee shop..the power went as expected..I wanted to go home to my kids…
The road was dark, only the supermarket in front had the generator switched on …people were still on the streets- with and without umbrellas, one lady was fishing with her hand into the muddy water for her missing slipper, I eagerly watched with relief as she came up triumphantly with the errant footwear …and to add to the brouhaha there were these trolley cart like vehicles carrying Ganesha idols- and hordes of men and kids pushing the vehicle- lit up by petro maxes- one even had a genrator tugging behind… they were singing aloud…fully soaked to the skin, their fervour making them impervious to the showers…
After a small discussion, Mr.Vamshi and friends decided to call another “gang mate” from our colony and request him to fetch us in a car…and amazingly, this other friend (God bless him) had been expecting us to call any time because he had seen us leaving without any rain gear…,- by now the waters were knee high (er…my knees- but probably calf- deep for the not so pocket sized homo sapiens)…meanwhile Mr. Vamshi went into the supermarket and requested permission to leaveing the bike behind in the parking space- ( we knew them well) and handed the keys over. The shop owner asked us not to worry aand even offered that once the rains stopped, one of his boys would drop the bike back to our colony…and he need not take the trouble to come back later for the bike… soon, this friend arrived in the car and all of us plodded in the dirty slush, got into the warmth of the car, and sped away to our warm homes…the power returned just as the car arrived…
On the way to our colony, there is this strip of no man’s land ( or mebbe, it belongs to the Municipality) where there is this long row of slums…construction labourers live there, and I just thought of those people huddled up in their dwellings- wet and dark..with frogs and reptiles and arachnids plodding around…I shuddered in the warmth of the car…
And thus we reached home, and I find my puttars happily playing chess oblivious to everything…
It was still raining cats and dogs outside…and I was glad I was not near Ivan… we changed..and then set about rustling up dinner- it was “palak rice” with different fry- ums (vadaams), and curd chillies…
Later, when the fury of the rains had abated, two boys from the supermarket delivered the bike safely and handed over the keys…
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