Lekha and I'd gone to the supermarket to sort out the plastic money issue of yesterday and to pick up a few more items that had been missed. Usually, Lekha does the buying while I sit in the car reading something or the other. Thanks to it being a Sunday, there was no parking space that was available near the shopping arcade because people had parked their vehicles and gone into the temple for their rendezvous with god. Can't help it, this is a phenomenon faced by us, locals, during weekends and holidays when the floating population park their vehicles at whichever place they get, the rider being 'nearer the temple, the better'. A typical human attitude and one can only grin and bear it; I mean there's no point in cribbing or raising one's blood pressure over a matter that one cannot change!
I'd dropped Lekha, therefore, at the supermarket and had gone off to turn around and find a suitable space to park. Had told Lekha to give me a call on my cellphone once she finished, to enable me to reach her without making her wait, if I was far off. In the process, I'd reached the outer circle, turned the car around and was on the reciprocal when I saw a short, dark gentleman standing beside a 'paan shop' letting out a loud cry with his left arm raised and fall with a dull thud on to the other side of the road - it was a heavy fall indeed because I thought I'd heard it sitting in my airtight environs.
On instinct, I'd stopped my car to provide help - perhaps, take him to the nearest hospital for immediate medical attention but I was greeted with angry honks from cars that had queued up behind. Thankfully, a couple of auto rickshaw drivers in the vicinity, had rushed to the spot and I saw one of them sprinkling water on to the man, lying lifeless. I'm sure they'd have assessed the situation and sent the patient for seeking urgent medical cover!
As I drove back, guilty at not having stepped out of my car - the angry honks, notwithstanding - I found a slot for parking, close to the supermarket. Lekha'd finished her work and was stepping out and we drove off soon after.
I peg his age to be in the mid 30s!
Tailpiece.
Another take on the steep hike in prices of commodities. Chicken, these days, sells @ Rs.165/- to
Rs.185/- a kg. The spurt, again, attributable to the consumption during the holy month? Sad! Take your profit because no one does business for charity but how can one think of making profits @ cut throat rates?
I'd dropped Lekha, therefore, at the supermarket and had gone off to turn around and find a suitable space to park. Had told Lekha to give me a call on my cellphone once she finished, to enable me to reach her without making her wait, if I was far off. In the process, I'd reached the outer circle, turned the car around and was on the reciprocal when I saw a short, dark gentleman standing beside a 'paan shop' letting out a loud cry with his left arm raised and fall with a dull thud on to the other side of the road - it was a heavy fall indeed because I thought I'd heard it sitting in my airtight environs.
On instinct, I'd stopped my car to provide help - perhaps, take him to the nearest hospital for immediate medical attention but I was greeted with angry honks from cars that had queued up behind. Thankfully, a couple of auto rickshaw drivers in the vicinity, had rushed to the spot and I saw one of them sprinkling water on to the man, lying lifeless. I'm sure they'd have assessed the situation and sent the patient for seeking urgent medical cover!
As I drove back, guilty at not having stepped out of my car - the angry honks, notwithstanding - I found a slot for parking, close to the supermarket. Lekha'd finished her work and was stepping out and we drove off soon after.
I peg his age to be in the mid 30s!
Tailpiece.
Another take on the steep hike in prices of commodities. Chicken, these days, sells @ Rs.165/- to
Rs.185/- a kg. The spurt, again, attributable to the consumption during the holy month? Sad! Take your profit because no one does business for charity but how can one think of making profits @ cut throat rates?
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