Ever wondered what the bald, bearded cab driver might have to say? What the story of the portly watchman with the mysteriously calm eyes is? What lies behind the cold facade of the white-haired old lady who lives down the hallway? Every life has a story to tell. Every mind has something to share. So let’s explore the little everyday lives of Mumbai who somehow make the city such an enthralling place.
Everyone knows that skinny, grumpy bus conductor who will chop your head off if you dare to not give him exact change. Yes, even I know one. His name is Anil and if you search up the word ‘grumpy’ in a dictionary, you’ll find his face staring up at you. One day, feeling all brave and Hulk-like, I asked him the reason for his ‘grumpiness’. He answered, “Nice people are polite, and that is what destroys them.”
Also, there is ‘Kaka’, the sleepy watchman whose real name is known by none. After managing to wake him up from his siesta (ruthlessly, I might add), I asked him his name. He smiled lazily and said, “Why do you want to know? I like being ‘Kaka’.”
And then there is Tehseen aunty, our maid who has the kindest hands and the oiliest hair in this part of the world. I asked her once, “Don’t you ever feel frustrated when people whose waste you clean boss you around?” She blinked, chuckled and said, “People forget the little joys and comforts of life, baby. It’s nothing new. But I know they need me and I need them.”
Three lives, three minds - so every-day in our happenings that we hardly bother to notice them, yet beautiful in their own way. We hardly ever think about them and at times, treat them like pieces of furniture; forgetting that they too have a life - maybe even more beautiful than ours. We just need to hear their heartbeat and we’ll probably discover trenches we never knew existed.
Indeed, it’s true what they say:
“All a mouth has to do is speak, but there should be an ear to listen too.”
Love,
Potterhead.
Everyone knows that skinny, grumpy bus conductor who will chop your head off if you dare to not give him exact change. Yes, even I know one. His name is Anil and if you search up the word ‘grumpy’ in a dictionary, you’ll find his face staring up at you. One day, feeling all brave and Hulk-like, I asked him the reason for his ‘grumpiness’. He answered, “Nice people are polite, and that is what destroys them.”
Also, there is ‘Kaka’, the sleepy watchman whose real name is known by none. After managing to wake him up from his siesta (ruthlessly, I might add), I asked him his name. He smiled lazily and said, “Why do you want to know? I like being ‘Kaka’.”
And then there is Tehseen aunty, our maid who has the kindest hands and the oiliest hair in this part of the world. I asked her once, “Don’t you ever feel frustrated when people whose waste you clean boss you around?” She blinked, chuckled and said, “People forget the little joys and comforts of life, baby. It’s nothing new. But I know they need me and I need them.”
Three lives, three minds - so every-day in our happenings that we hardly bother to notice them, yet beautiful in their own way. We hardly ever think about them and at times, treat them like pieces of furniture; forgetting that they too have a life - maybe even more beautiful than ours. We just need to hear their heartbeat and we’ll probably discover trenches we never knew existed.
Indeed, it’s true what they say:
“All a mouth has to do is speak, but there should be an ear to listen too.”
Love,
Potterhead.