Skip to main content

The Giver


He stands in a strategic place, where they can see him clearly. He reaches there earlier than they are expected to arrive; dressed casually, for work. Although, it wouldn't matter whatever he chose to wear. It is not his attire that matters to them, nor his attitude. In fact, anyone else in his place would command the same respect in their eyes, and the same reverence.
He knows this. And it doesn't bother him. He isn't here to earn their respect or their loyalty. Because he knows, they will come to him, no matter what; as their loyalty is to his speciality, to what he can offer them.
As he watches, they come. Some alone, some in groups of two or more. There are many couples. Some children; although, this is increasingly rare these days. Some days, he sees foreigners come too. And many times NRIs! They are the ones with a lot of specific demands.
Almost always, ladies come to him. No matter who else comes, the ladies definitely come. The rich ones, the not so prosperous ones, the ones who exercise regularly, the ones who don't, the ones who do not count their calories, who prefer what he offers, over most other things; and even those who count their calories diligently. The married ones come to him, and so do the unmarried ones. Age is no bar for what he has to offer, the ones who come are of all ages.
Newly married couples come to him, who do not know the preferences of their partners; and so do couples who have been married for a long time where the partners tell him each other's preferences. Sometimes a father comes to him, tentatively asking his family to choose; other times, a family man, who makes the choice for his entire family.
They all come to him. Telling him their preferences. And he delivers. Yes, he charges them for his offerings. And they are happy to pay. They would happily pay more, he can see it in their satisfied faces; and that's why, he sometimes finds himself thinking how amazing it would be if his trade was valued at more.
But alas, a plate of pani puri costs only so much!

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A Break In The Pattern

The train stops. She looks around. It is a big station, large and open, nothing like the big city railway stations that she has seen. This station is surrounded by lush greenery as far as the eye can see. There is a chill in the air. And a sense of belonging. She breathes it in, deeply.  She walks towards the end of the platform to the foot-overbridge that will take her out of the station. A few taxis and auto rickshaws are lined up near the exit, and she hires one at random. The driver helps her stow her one bag near her feet, while she sits to one side of the wide seat, as if she is sharing space with someone. Because she is used to taking up only so much space – always in a corner, trying not to make her presence felt. Now as she thinks this, she moves a little towards the centre of the seat, as if to affirm to herself that she is now travelling all by herself, for the first time in her life. You wouldn’t really know it now, to look at her, but she is scared out of h...
33 comments
Read more

The Past That Binds...

The sound of the raindrops hitting the window panes in a quiet residential part of a small town is so different from that in a big city. That is the thought in her mind now, as she looks out of her kitchen window. The trees around her property are thick and dark as they stand drenched in the heavy downpour. It is the second day in a row that heavy rains continue to lash their area. She has heard in the morning on the radio that the rain will continue for a couple more days. It is good, she thinks, that she has just picked up her groceries, having moved in only a few days ago.       From the small gap in the trees, she can see across to the blue-walled house, just as she could see as a child. It is drenched too. The creepers outside its kitchen wall making a brave attempt at holding on through the heavy downpour. She can see its kitchen window clearly from here. How amazing, she thinks, how few things change over a period of time, although everything is chan...
26 comments
Read more

What Begins, Must End…

After three days of near continuous rain, today has dawned bright and glorious. The sun shines gently on the rain-washed, still dewy trees, and the birds sing a beautiful melody to welcome a brand new day. She sits on a rocker on the porch with a cup of coffee. In her lap is a book she has borrowed from the local library. But her mind is on the phone call she had with her daughter last night. Her confident, independent daughter, who is far, far away in another country. Her daughter, a doctor, who, at almost seven months pregnant, worries all the time about her mother. Which is why the girl has arranged to have a landline connection and a Wi-Fi connection installed here and sent her a smartphone. ‘I want to be able to talk to you anytime I want,’ her daughter says; ‘face to face’ .   Krishna is not much used to technology. But their calls make her daughter worry less; and in her present state, she wants her daughter to worry as less as possible. For what it’s worth, h...
25 comments
Read more