City Season – Sunny Saturday, Around Town
Voices from the city.
[By Mayank Austen Soofi]
Happy birthday, Sandhya! The lady in white is cutting her pink cake surrounded by friends Riya and Jyoti, here in the super-packed Sunder Nursery. So many folks are crowding the central Delhi park today, that it is difficult to walk without stumbling into picnickers. The day after Republic Day, it is the new year’s first truly sunny noon, the first respite from the winter’s bone-chilling cold wave. A handful of citizens from across the city tell what’s going on in their mind under this warm blue Saturday sky.
Raja, neighbourhood security guard, central Delhi
“Such a nice weather! I’m happy for the fruit seller standing over there by the gates, for the maali in the park, for the world. But that happiness is present only in a small part of my brain. The rest of it is occupied by another thought, which is when will I get a better job? It is always good to be a guard in a kothi—that has more status.”
Renu Mittal, homemaker, Gurugram
“I’m so happy for our laundry. The clothes were not drying well. There was no dhoop at all! Look now! Out from the washing machine, spread out on the balcony, soaking in all the sun… this dhoop is making me recall my childhood days when I would have mummy’s sarso ka saag and makke ki roti in the sun-soaked aangan of our Faridkot home.”
Sushma, sex worker, GB Road
“But it is still cold and damp inside because we don’t have enough windows, so we don’t get enough sunlight, a good thing in the summer. By next week I might pack my cardigan, my shawl and my blankets in my trunk.”
Ayub, courier man, Okhla
“It’s sunny, but I have to be in the field, on the job—from 9am to 7pm. Sunny days truly will start for me when my dream becomes real—to run my own restaurant!”
Jasbir Chatterjee, customer relations manager, Vikaspuri
“I’ve hardly had time to think of this bright day—until now. I had taken leave for today from the office, so I overslept, then went to the dentist, cooked, and now heading to the Red Fort to watch Sukhangshu, my actor husband, perform Subhash Chandra Bose in a play there.”
Ismini Panagopoulou-Boudouris, Greek diplomat, Green Park Extension
“Such a soothing sun… I think of walking in Deer Park, my local paradise, so near to my house… the green waters of the lake there, the park’s trees named after the anakshatras, bats squealing, me having bhelpuri by one of the street vendors who stand by the park’s gate…”
Ghulam, beggar, Hazrat Nizamuddin Basti
“Yes, it’s nicely warm but my eyes are failing. They cannot see the light.”
Recent Comments