Monday, February 27, 2006 ||
8:07 AM ||
Saturday, February 04, 2006 ||
7:01 PM ||
The temple visit over, it’s a slow descent down. On the steps, she sits crouched with her palms outstretched. She should be about eighty five, perhaps more. She looks up at me expectantly, and beams as I plop down beside her, exhausted. I tell her I am too tired, in Hindi. She then breaks into a verbal deluge, and I don’t have a clue as to what she is talking about. All I gather from her Bengali tirade is that she is from Calcutta – ‘bahut, bahut door!’ One of my colleagues find our odd pair, worth a camera click. I sense that life has been harsh on her, and that ‘Baba’ is her only beacon of hope. A few coins meanwhile are dropped before us. My murmurs and sighs lead her on further, and she indulges in a fervent chatter, throwing her hands up every now and then, exasperatedly. She then moves a bit closer, puts a hand on my shoulder and draws me close. And whispers something into my ear that sounds as strange as the rest. She waits for my response, and I nod in agreement.
As I get up to leave, I decide to toy with the one word that I think would make sense to her. I call her ‘Daadi’, and a bright smile lights up her face. She holds my hand in hers for a second, and I walk down, wondering who she was…
Just to add that odd bit of color...
Here is my first ever song upload...
Priye..Priye...Vasanthamaay Kaanmu Nin Hrudayam..
(Addeham Enna Iddeham- 1993)
For those of u, who cud afford to download...
Dare, anyone?
;)