“See the
other side” by Tatyana Tolstoya – a work of fiction in Russian translated by
Jamey Gambrell.
….Ravenna
was the small Italian city where Dante was buried. Once upon a time right at
the start of the fifth century AD- the Emperor Honorius transferred the capital
of the Western Roman Empire to this
city. Ravenna - the city is famous for its mosaics, tourists and churches …
Every
city big or small turns ugly with the lapse of time like Ravenna. In her work about
the city Tatyana proceeds to say there’s only darkness, heat, silence,
irritation, doubt and dejection.
This was
in response to a postcard written by her father and forty years later she pays
a visit to Ravenna only to feel disappointed.
Coastal cities will perish
Like
people like cities do face the aging factor and this calls for re-building or
renovation. All coastal cities must be constantly spruced up to retain their
old glory or they will die a natural death.
Dusky doe-eyed Gaikwad
School
days can never be uneventful especially if you are in the company of some
extraordinary classmates. Well Meena Gaikwad was one who tried to impress any
group with her jokes, songs and couplets in Hindi. Her only drawback was that
dusky complexion but her beauty was exemplary. Large eyes, very soulful,cute
smile and teeth like a string of pearls made her attractive. One day she
confessed that her dad was a make-up artiste at a film production unit not soap
operas. Of course had it been these days her dad would have been more
prosperous due to an influx of work. Yet her effervescence showed some hidden
talent.
She kept
herself busy with extra-curricular activities and never bothered about
academics. No wonder she disappeared after Class Ten to be a part time dancer at a
film unit. Thus she made her dreams come true. Today, she may be a dancers’
coach.
Gaikwad the bus driver
I recount
the experience of dependable bus rides, to and from Kings’Circle to
Colaba(Mumbai).The driver had immense patience, a chiselled face and a mouthful
of ‘paan’ (a mixture of betel leaf and betel nuts). Generally ‘paan’ eaters are
irresponsible spitters. But Gaikwad was not uncouth as he never used the roads
to spit out the chewed ‘paan’ remnants (discoloured saliva).
Whenever
or wherever he noticed us (my husband and I) he would stop the bus to ask if we needed a ride. Gaikwad wore a serene face
had a tousle-free hair, a gold watch and a faint smile that lined his face. He
was never ruffled or annoyed. Wonder what attracted him to us but in due course
we missed him for a few months.
One fine
day, he spotted us at Dadar and stopped the bus only to tell us that his wife
was out of hospital. She was being treated for tuberculosis. Well, she was back home, hale and hearty. As
a token of his inner joy at seeing us he handed over a sealed jute bag. It was
a bagful of Alfonso mangoes. Promptly the next day my husband insisted we pay
for the mangoes. Gaikwad refused and said he owned a fruit shop at the M.P.
Market, also called Crawford Market. So our wealthy driver was large-hearted,
too. Long live the serene Gaikwad.
Last week
the irking demeanour of a law-maker (R.Gaikwad) and his in-flight drama raised
many eye-brows with disgust. He was temporarily banned by the airline for
unruly behaviour , many would have heard of the VIP. The ban has been revoked. (P.S.
do purchase Kolhapuris from refined shops only.) Do not feel offended!
Do leave
all your arrogance and vengeful acts in your backyard. Nobody wants bad temper.
Learn to unshackle all body toxins and flush it down the drain.