Against a backdrop of many and shameful tragedies like the senseless violence in Assam, the impending, and totally unnecessary, loading of the nuclear fuel at the Koodankulam Nuclear Power Plant, the violent moral policing by the Hindutva forces in Karnataka, all of which darken my days, there are small moments of startled glowing wonders that remind me to smile.
1.At the maddening and mad Mekhri circle which is a traffic nightmare at the best of times, the Rajasthani banjaras have started weaving between the clogged vehicles - blowing soap bubbles! Women with light skin, light eyes, dry, matted brown hair wearing men shirts, extravagantly billowing skirts and floral long head scarves smile peering into autos, gazing through rolled up air conditioned car windows, seeking upwards towards bus passengers, selling little plastic jumbos in pinks and oranges and reds that blow endless streams of perfect, rainbow soap bubbles that float way into skies. Their kids twist, jump, cart-wheel in a continuous movement of acrobatic wonders; while the men, with sleek hair, polished twirled mustache and gold studs sell everything from eyeglasses, to tinted shades for car windscreens. I stare mesmerised. Now on all my ways home, I tend to pass Mekhri circle, and hope for long traffic halts.
2. Last few evenings its been raining in Bangalore. Atul and I still go for our walks; we set off as soon as the rain eases. The other day, we were walking fairly late into the evening, on IISc campus, with a mildest, slivery, silver drizzle that goose-bumped us and made us smile. Suddenly all street lights went off. Pitch dark.
A little startled, we stopped on our tracks, peering into darkness...and slowly we saw that we were walking through a zillion fireflies; seemed like all the stars had descended right around us. Lights came on in a few moments; fireflies faded, and we continued our walk, magic wrapping our hearts.
1.At the maddening and mad Mekhri circle which is a traffic nightmare at the best of times, the Rajasthani banjaras have started weaving between the clogged vehicles - blowing soap bubbles! Women with light skin, light eyes, dry, matted brown hair wearing men shirts, extravagantly billowing skirts and floral long head scarves smile peering into autos, gazing through rolled up air conditioned car windows, seeking upwards towards bus passengers, selling little plastic jumbos in pinks and oranges and reds that blow endless streams of perfect, rainbow soap bubbles that float way into skies. Their kids twist, jump, cart-wheel in a continuous movement of acrobatic wonders; while the men, with sleek hair, polished twirled mustache and gold studs sell everything from eyeglasses, to tinted shades for car windscreens. I stare mesmerised. Now on all my ways home, I tend to pass Mekhri circle, and hope for long traffic halts.
2. Last few evenings its been raining in Bangalore. Atul and I still go for our walks; we set off as soon as the rain eases. The other day, we were walking fairly late into the evening, on IISc campus, with a mildest, slivery, silver drizzle that goose-bumped us and made us smile. Suddenly all street lights went off. Pitch dark.
A little startled, we stopped on our tracks, peering into darkness...and slowly we saw that we were walking through a zillion fireflies; seemed like all the stars had descended right around us. Lights came on in a few moments; fireflies faded, and we continued our walk, magic wrapping our hearts.
