latent relations

Unknowingly, or knowingly, many a people touch your life and become a part of it too. People range from friends, neighbours, seat mates on your everyday journey to the office, maybe your barber, the tailor or the man with a cart of vegetables at the end of the street, who always smiles as you pass by. You never get to knowing their name perhaps,  but still you end up maintaining a hidden relation with them.

One such guy was my tailor, Narayan. I figured out his name from the newly designed bill he gave me, the nth time I went to him. This was an year after he became my personal tailor, if I can call him so. Nevertheless, he knew my name well. I still do not remember the first time I went to him. Thanks to the company I work for, wearing formals 4 days a week became necessary and I preferred them getting stitched. This would not restrict the size to an even number, which is the case otherwise, with ready-made stuff. I used to have little weird requests like having a secret pocket inside my shirt and he used to remember each one of them on my next visit. And he used to give me the best fitting always. I even had his phone number now. It's been 3 years. I never went to any other tailor. I was so used to this one. With hardly any time left for my birthday, I felt very enthusiastic, getting new formals stitched, with the day being a Monday.


I went to his shop last Friday, only to find it closed. I wondered at the odd time of closure, since I was there at around 5 in the evening. The same closed shutters greeted me the next day too. I decided to try for a third time today morning. Still closed. I enquired with the lady of the adjacent shop. "I don't know. It's been nearly 15 days they raised the shutter.", she said. "Why, do you have any idea?".

"They haven't opened it ever since their Prop Narayan passed away", she informed. The news came a bit hard on me. Totally unexpected. Here I was, waiting to get another of the man's best fit on me, and I would never see him again !! .....


somewhere deep down, I felt a little pain. An unknown feeling which I wasn't able to comprehend. Unsure of what to do next, I went back home, threw the bag into my closet and made my way to office . . . .

glimpse out of the fast lane

....a minute or so had passed before I realized where I was. The driver had just slowed down a little, and I had landed thump on the pavement. I couldn't take my eyes off this scene. I was amazed at this little girls dedication under the street light, undisturbed by the fast moving traffic beside her. I saw her mother a little away, doing her chores at a hut. 

some things just make you realize how much you have, in spite of which one tends to crave for more....

bengalooru, me and my jacket

..it rained heavily that night. I could still hear the sound of large rain drops hitting the roof of a car outside, while I slipped into sleep. I woke up at 6.45 the next day to find the downpour still going on. Umesh mumbled in bed, wondering about our travel to office.


Reminded me of old school days, I used to feel happy to see a climate like this. We could go late to school, half the hours would be canceled, or sometimes, better still, would be declared off by the Delhi Govt. Oh, I loved that time :-)


Sigh !!!! not anymore. My workplace was inviting me, and for that, I HAD to be at the bus-stop by 7:25. After a quick shower, geared myself with a rather little heavy jacket with a good head cover, and stepped out into the rain. Our neighbor aunt stared at me in a rather odd way which didn't seem to impress me. And why not, I was literally dripping all over, with only my head and upper part covered perfectly. I am sure her kids had had day off from school. I paced slowly along the 1 km walk to the bus-stop, avoiding water logs and vehicles splashing water. I saw few of my stop-mates better off with umbrellas.


The bus was dripping at places inside too. I was lucky enough to find a seat, perfect near the window. Not long, I fell into sleep, unaware of what lied ahead in time !!! 


I woke up as my bus neared office. It took me no time to realize that I was all heated up inside, thanks to my wool-from-inside jacket !!!! The scorching heat of the Sun.....YES..you read it right !!! the SUN, out, bright and shining on my left side !!! All the clouds had cleared off and it was just as any other mid-summer day. I had never saw such a contrast in weather patterns till now. My colleague was smiling at me, obvious at my surprised  look over the sudden change in climate. gosh !!!!


..and today, it is raining again. I am still thinking whether to take the jacket or not . . . . .