It was 5 o’clock on a Wednesday evening and it was pouring cats and dogs yet again. Dark clouds and my life have become like a body and its shadow, wherever I go it follows suit. The splashing raindrops enmeshed with the rays of the bulb in the room created magical sepia hues on the glass door. The dullness outside was in stark contrast with the bright, chirpy orange little office we have in the garage. And for once I was extremely happy to be on this side of the door.
Usual meetings one after the other kept us occupied. While Ishita spoke to me and Sanya about matters of grave importance. There was Nitya talking to her Fac gang and Ashutosh about posters and publicity. We reshuffled. Ishita now addressed Nitya, while I sorted out ‘Call for Entries’ for the Film Series with Ashutosh. Nitya left with her gang of girls all set for her next Fac workshop on Sexual and reproductive health rights on friday at Venky (also known as Sri Venkateshwara College). Ishita departed to bathe and get dressed for an “official” meeting that night. Then entered Diksha in a “not-so-happy-kinda-pissed-off” mood. The reason? That she was returning from Aryaman’s meeting with the Afghan students and got drenched till her waist in pools of muck, poop and dirty water. It was a sight to remember, we all burst out laughing and snorted in order to control that laughter. But then she joined in. The ability to laugh at one self is not something that many possess but it should be something that be inculcated as it makes life easy for us and those who we interact with.
Sanya restlessly told Diksha that she had to pick her sister up from the Airport hence they should reschedule their fundraising meeting later, and with that she too left. I incessantly searched for envelopes like a dog does for a bone in a pile of trash especially those which would fit A3 sized posters in them for it had to be couriered to Film Schools. But not finding any, I decided to get the posters and the other documents printed to be brought at the staff meeting at Pritha’s house the next day, while Ashutosh would buy the envelopes and courier the mails. It was a chiaroscuroic picturesque moment with people hustling and bustling in the room like a film reel in motion. All this while in the other side of the room, Diksha hurriedly was editing my Covering Letter and YP’s short profile and mailing it to me.
Just as our conversation was warming up her phone started to ring. Guess the ring tone… it’s the Cuppycake Song!! “Yes, I am shutting down the computer and leaving the office, will be there for dinner in a bit…..” and so she turned off the computer, switched off the lights and we stepped out while Ashutosh who was supposed to lock the office, apparently shut the door and forgot the lock inside. Quite a smart move I must say! So in he went and did the needful. In the meantime we waited outside shivering in the cold winds and freezing rain.
The two of us, Ashutosh and I, urged Diksha to drop us at the nearest auto stand and we thus seated ourselves in her car. She drove past the labyrinthine passages of Def. Col. and dropped us at the market. We searched for an auto, seeing one we went and sat inside, the “auto bhaiyya” refused to go as usual. Reason? The engine was filled with water and hence the vehicle won’t start. We kept sitting for a while and then being hapless decided to walk, for only God knew when the rains would stop. Walking, treading, jumping, hopping, slipping, sliding, falling,… yew…...gross...the same pool of muck, poop and dirty water enwrapped my jeans and water poured from above to make it look even from all angles. My laughter on looking at Diksha in that very state a few hours back reverberated at the back of my head, and history (pretty recent one in this case) was repeating itself and i was the scapegoat this time (we both were) but I couldn’t even feel pity for either myself or him. Drenched completely we proceeded on our pilgrimage of reaching home, but the autos refused to take us, and the buses stormed past us. Finally boarding an auto we were somewhat relieved. Ashutosh was to be dropped midway so he hopped in too. And all the while the auto moved, honked, was stuck in the traffic and moved again… the YP talks continued…..!!
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2 comments:
right!!!!!! very well written Tanushree, but was it really worth all the toil and hours?
Hmm.. well i wrote it that very day, the evening just inspired me to record down the preceding events and i had to....it was all so surprisingly comic and yet so routine!! :)
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