I was listening to 'Jinhe naaz hai hind par woh kahan hain' today. It's a song in a 1957 Guru Dutt movie Pyasa, based on a poem "Chakle" by Sahir Ludhianvi. I remembered a small incident one of my friend told me some time ago. . .
*********
Rajiv was sitting at a bench in C.P. with his love, Sonia.
C.P - connaught place - one of the most beautifully ambient, buzzingly busy and happening shopping areas in New Delhi. The dusk had settled; municipality street lights were painting everything pale yellow.
It had been a long time since both had met. Both had jobs in different cities; Rajiv in Gurgaon, Sonia in Pune. Sonia had arrived the previous day, and had a flight late in the evening back to Pune.
"I am going to miss you", said Sonia through moist eyes, hugging Rajiv's left arm with her right, resting her head on his shoulder.
Rajiv didn't say anything for a moment. then he turned his face towards hers, "How much time before we have to leave for the airport?"
Sonia slowly responded, drew her arm out of his, and looked at her watch, "Another half an hour, I guess...". Then thinking on what Rajiv had just said, she continued, "I can go to the airport alone"
Rajiv didn't reply, but Sonia knew the answer. Ever since they left college one year ago, Rajiv had never let Sonia come to Delhi alone. He always made the journey, and this was the first time he had agreed to let her come. "But only on a flight, then", Rajiv had said few weeks ago.
They both returned their gaze towards the shops. The bench they were sitting on was some yards away from a shopping corridor. They could see many couples, families with children, groups of friends milling around the shops; everyone seemed lost in their own world, as Rajiv and Sonia were themselves.
"Want to have some tea? ", asked Rajiv gingerly, as a Tea-Hawker passed them crying the ubiquitous words - (in India, that is ) "Chay, Chay. Garama-garam Chay".
It was December. The usual cold wave of north India was making the evening cuddle-worthy. Sonia dug deeper into Rajiv's arm-hug, smiling cozily, "Ya sure. It would be romantic - this cold foggy evening, you in this soft sweater, and this C.P. ki raunak. God I miss winter in Pune!".
Rajiv bought two cups, handed the money to the hawker; the hawker left, continuing his call - "Chay, chay".
They both started sipping. Sonia was still leaning on his shoulder as they finished their tea. Rajiv dumped the plastic cups in a dust-bin nearby, and snuggled into Sonia's right arm again, holding hands. They continued talking softly, of anything; everything. It was a perfect evening.
Suddenly a girl - about 12 - came in front of them both and started begging for money. She was wearing a filthy salwar-kameez the color of which was hard to tell under all that oily dirt and yellow light.
Both Rajiv and Sonia looked away. The girl continued to beg, "ay bhai de na paisa. khuda teri jodi salamat rakhe". Rajiv thought of saying something or giving some change to make her go away. But in the next moment, the girl started touching both their legs. Sonia cringed at the look of the gross-looking girl touching them with her grimy hands. Rajiv, who was in motion of putting his hand in his pocket to fetch some change, swept the dirty hand away with his own. Sonia turned towards him with a look saying, "let's get away from here."
This was getting a little uncomfortable. As Rajiv was contemplating whether to finally give the money or get up, in next moment, something happened which both he and Sonia would never forget for the rest of their lives.
The girl had stepped closer. Facing Rajiv, in one swift motion, she pulled her kameez up grabbing it by its hem, and pulled her salwar down, saying simultaneously, "yeh dekh le. . .le le meri **** . . .kuch paise de de bas". Rajiv stood up in almost the same instant, and in a reflex, faced towards Sonia, coming in between her and the beggar girl like a shield. Sonia clasped her hand on her mouth to keep herself from giving any loud reaction. What had just happpened? Did it really happen? Did anyone of these hundreds of people around see what had happened?
Both were too dumbfounded to move for several seconds. They looked around: no one had noticed what had happened. In those seconds, many thoughts crossed Rajiv's mind: Should I have just given her some money, or should we have just left when this girl touched our legs? Still numb, Rajiv looked over his shoulder, thinking that now he will be too embarrassed to even give some money to this little girl.
The girl was not there. Rajiv didn't try too hard to look for her. He looked back towards Sonia, who was still holding her hand over her mouth, and said in a shaky voice, "Let's sit somewhere else".
They picked their bags and began walking slowly...
*********
Rabbi Shergill has taken one line of that old song, and made a whole new one. Worth listening once.
If one wishes, one can listen to it here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=okKlOvTuUw4
*********
C.P - connaught place - one of the most beautifully ambient, buzzingly busy and happening shopping areas in New Delhi. The dusk had settled; municipality street lights were painting everything pale yellow.
It had been a long time since both had met. Both had jobs in different cities; Rajiv in Gurgaon, Sonia in Pune. Sonia had arrived the previous day, and had a flight late in the evening back to Pune.
"I am going to miss you", said Sonia through moist eyes, hugging Rajiv's left arm with her right, resting her head on his shoulder.
Rajiv didn't say anything for a moment. then he turned his face towards hers, "How much time before we have to leave for the airport?"
Sonia slowly responded, drew her arm out of his, and looked at her watch, "Another half an hour, I guess...". Then thinking on what Rajiv had just said, she continued, "I can go to the airport alone"
Rajiv didn't reply, but Sonia knew the answer. Ever since they left college one year ago, Rajiv had never let Sonia come to Delhi alone. He always made the journey, and this was the first time he had agreed to let her come. "But only on a flight, then", Rajiv had said few weeks ago.
They both returned their gaze towards the shops. The bench they were sitting on was some yards away from a shopping corridor. They could see many couples, families with children, groups of friends milling around the shops; everyone seemed lost in their own world, as Rajiv and Sonia were themselves.
"Want to have some tea? ", asked Rajiv gingerly, as a Tea-Hawker passed them crying the ubiquitous words - (in India, that is ) "Chay, Chay. Garama-garam Chay".
It was December. The usual cold wave of north India was making the evening cuddle-worthy. Sonia dug deeper into Rajiv's arm-hug, smiling cozily, "Ya sure. It would be romantic - this cold foggy evening, you in this soft sweater, and this C.P. ki raunak. God I miss winter in Pune!".
Rajiv bought two cups, handed the money to the hawker; the hawker left, continuing his call - "Chay, chay".
They both started sipping. Sonia was still leaning on his shoulder as they finished their tea. Rajiv dumped the plastic cups in a dust-bin nearby, and snuggled into Sonia's right arm again, holding hands. They continued talking softly, of anything; everything. It was a perfect evening.
Suddenly a girl - about 12 - came in front of them both and started begging for money. She was wearing a filthy salwar-kameez the color of which was hard to tell under all that oily dirt and yellow light.
Both Rajiv and Sonia looked away. The girl continued to beg, "ay bhai de na paisa. khuda teri jodi salamat rakhe". Rajiv thought of saying something or giving some change to make her go away. But in the next moment, the girl started touching both their legs. Sonia cringed at the look of the gross-looking girl touching them with her grimy hands. Rajiv, who was in motion of putting his hand in his pocket to fetch some change, swept the dirty hand away with his own. Sonia turned towards him with a look saying, "let's get away from here."
This was getting a little uncomfortable. As Rajiv was contemplating whether to finally give the money or get up, in next moment, something happened which both he and Sonia would never forget for the rest of their lives.
The girl had stepped closer. Facing Rajiv, in one swift motion, she pulled her kameez up grabbing it by its hem, and pulled her salwar down, saying simultaneously, "yeh dekh le. . .le le meri **** . . .kuch paise de de bas". Rajiv stood up in almost the same instant, and in a reflex, faced towards Sonia, coming in between her and the beggar girl like a shield. Sonia clasped her hand on her mouth to keep herself from giving any loud reaction. What had just happpened? Did it really happen? Did anyone of these hundreds of people around see what had happened?
Both were too dumbfounded to move for several seconds. They looked around: no one had noticed what had happened. In those seconds, many thoughts crossed Rajiv's mind: Should I have just given her some money, or should we have just left when this girl touched our legs? Still numb, Rajiv looked over his shoulder, thinking that now he will be too embarrassed to even give some money to this little girl.
The girl was not there. Rajiv didn't try too hard to look for her. He looked back towards Sonia, who was still holding her hand over her mouth, and said in a shaky voice, "Let's sit somewhere else".
They picked their bags and began walking slowly...
*********
Rabbi Shergill has taken one line of that old song, and made a whole new one. Worth listening once.
If one wishes, one can listen to it here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=okKlOvTuUw4
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