That woman...

September 10, 2006

"I love it here." she said. Still rolling the coffee bean in her mouth.
"Did I not tell you? You cannot not love Mumbai after spending so much time in the city." G replied.
"No silly, I meant I love it here, the sea-side." she said teasingly, tilting her head, "How can I like the pollution, traffic jams, the overcrowded buses and trains and the pavements are 'unwalkable', what with all the illegal vendors and squatters.. it's terrible."
"Embrace the beauty and refuse to accept the thorns that come with the rose... you small-town types I tell you" G retorted, shaking his head in an exaggerated manner.
She slapped him on his arm. "Aye!!! You better watch it."
"You do not have to get all violent about that.. I know it is not easy to accept, but yeah you have to live with it."
"I know baba, I was just kidding. It is the people that make Bombay that what it is."
"Err... I was talking about the bitter fact about the 'selective acceptance mentality' of you small-town types. You have to live with it." G said busting on her once again.
"G, I am going to murder you!!" she said.
"It's gonna be not so difficult, I am kinda suffocating because of your terrible perfume, it will kill me for sure the next time. Just apply a bit more of it when you see me next."
"You want to apologise, that is Carolina Herrera you are talking about Mister." she said pretending to be pissed.
"What an irony! You were complaining about pollution a while back." G retorted, disregarding what she said.
"Ugh I hate you!! Aye I want seeng chanaa." saying that she went to the seeng chanaa wala and got a coneful of roasted peanuts and chickpeas.
"So when are you goin to Jamshedpur next?" G asked her as he helped himself to some nuts.
"You seem to be in a hurry of sending me back, tough luck though turnip, I aint goin for the next 2 or three months."
"I have to go to Bangalore, I was just hoping that my trip coincides with your Jamshedpur trip."
"Ehh... why so? It's not like we are going to the same place anyway."
"Ugh.. whatever."
"No tell me! Why were you hoping that happens?"
"Nah forget it!" G said as he helped himself to some more nuts.
"Why are you not takin any chanaaa?" she asked G.
"Because I like peanuts!" G said
"Ohh... so that's why you get selected wherever you go for an interview!"
They both burst out laughing at that. And they walked away, hand in hand into the sunset.

She was a good woman. An active member of a prominent organisation striving for the betterment of stray animals. That is what had brought her to the city of Mumbai from the charming town of Jamshedpur. She had weaved dreams with G of going to Jamshedpur together, before heading to Shillong, the first stop of their plan to hitchhike their way through the northeast. G totally adored her smile and she was absolutely charmed by G's ways. G called her 'Moonkin', she called him 'Turnip'. They were happy together, but some things are never meant to last. They had to part their ways. This was about a year ago. The last that G spoke to her was in December of 2005, on his birthday. It's her birthday today, 10th of september. G tried to call on her cell, but seems the number has been disabled. G called her room-mates cell, praying that this number is still functional. The room-mate answered. They talked for a few minutes before G hung up, devastated.

The room-mate informed G that Moonkin was one one of the victims of the 11th July train blasts in Mumbai.
Some people are just too nice, they have perfected the art of enjoying the small things in life. These are the kinds that follow their heart and do that what they desire. There is an aura about them that you just cannot miss. And tragedy has its way of finding them.

I love you Moonkin.
May your smile, shine on.