machi and his woes!

people talk to share-anger, happiness, dejection........yesterday night, my bengali friend from across the corridor caught my arm and cleared his throat to express those " twitched eye-brow" expressions stamped on his fore-head. he is one of those thinking kinds who have an opinion on almost all subjects concerning a normal man.
on first thought, i wanted to get away as soon as possible. it was 2.30am and i didn't want to break the continuity of the novel that i'm reading. well, after trying my best to free my hand, i finally submitted-preparing myself for any kind of wisdom that could possibly flow out from his mouth. i have met only 2 kinds of bengalis- those who eat fish and more fish and those who drink, smoke, snort and make life paradise(they have fish anyway....)
a little high, this friend of mine whom we affectionately call machi had tasted a few beers in the evening. after parading myself for a couple of times in the corridor, building up my expectations, he finally let his tongue loose.
chumi-another alias of his-expreseed his deep regret at his inability to drink anything his entire life.
" yaar tere ko chadh gayi hai." i smirked.
he squeezed my hand in his giant fists and looked at me very innocently. he added, "we bloody bengalis have to eat everything- from a cake to fruit to water and wine."
"yaar tu so ja."
"no, listen to me man. i have a point." he demanded.
"alrite." in the last couple of years at college i have realised that every drunk guy has a point. they seem to get intellectual enlightenement and wisdom only after midnight.

"i didnt drink beer today."
"hain? then what did u have?"
"i had beer. but i didnt drink it man. i ate it. i eat water. i eat soda. we bengalis cant drink.......man...beer khabo....jal khaabo....man, its frustrating."
......and i had stereotyped people who repetitively used 'man' as drunk. this guy was out of the league. he wasnt drunk. he had gnawed at his beer.
to add to his woes,i started laughing uncontrollably. he said," yaar endley, you think of my situation man. i want to drink something. i want to desperately try drinking something."
he indeed was high. i led him to his room and subsequently his bed and convinced him to go to sleep. " But i still can't drink anything man!" i heard him shout as i closed the door behind.
i deeply sympathise with you dear friend. i tried my best to convey my helplessness at his situation.
and then i laughed..........he is the man who can never drink.

i have many friends who belong to his part of the nation, its a pity i could never strain my muscles before.....

life is pretty...oh so pretty!

it had been a couple of days since i stepped out of home at nagpur. i had made many plans to jog to get some fresh air and enjoy the rains but found myself sleepy most the rainy season. cold breeze do induce sleep a lot! so i had been sleeping after returning from bangalore. yesterday,it poured continuously and mom came home at 5 pm. she narrated her saga of how every auto on her route had water in the carburetor and how she finally got into a city bus. all this charged me up!
i had to go grocery shopping today. i thought I'll go for a jog first and then buy the stuff.
i jogged. i walked. i sat. the weather was good and i didn't have a care in the world! i decided to complete a circuit. when i had barely covered a fourth of it, it started drizzling. YAY! i reached the lake, half drenched. had roasted maze and started again. then i realised i had left my phone at home! it was a blessing in disguise. 10 minutes later it started raining heavily. like everyone else, i started looking for anything that would cover my head. it had started pouring. the road was now a stream with the big rain balls splashing on running water and exploding into nothingness. the wind made the rain come in at an acute angle. everyone was afraid to get wet and started forcing their way back away from the edge of the tin shed of a closed shop. the road had been deserted and the yellow of the street lights made the flowing water glow. every drop that hit the road turned to amber. it was such a simple phenomenon(if you call it that) but it was so beautiful.
about 10 minutes had passed when i saw an elderly couple walking right in the middle of the road enjoying their evening as if it were their last. he wore a maroon t-shirt and dark pants. his walking stick was white and matched with his clothes. his smile was toothless but i hadn't seen such an expressive smile for quite a while.
the next thing i recall is i was sprinting on the road, jumping into every pothole that crossed my way. i smiled at the old man in gratitude and ran away. it didn't seem to tire me. it felt as if i had the breath for a 100 miles. Rain drops were falling on my head and i could hear myself sing, "life is pretty, oh so pretty."
every shelter i passed, someone came out, jolly and smiling. i shouted in joy.
the closer i came to home, the less i wanted to step in. so i stood in the rain, facing the clouds-smiling at them. it was awesome.
i rang the door bell and mom came out-worried and frowning. then she saw my clothes dripping water and said, "keep whatever you have brought on the table and take a hot shower." oh! i had bought nothing. i laughed!
i looked from the veranda, it was still raining. i tied my laces again and stepped out. i ran.....