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| Gagol Road, Partapur Market at night. |
Evening, the most crowded hours in the Partapur Market. And I was there to buy some vegetables which I could prepare salad with for the dinner tonight. Should I say, Partapur effect or what, I am habituated to eating onions & khira [cucumber] with a pinch of salt and squeezed lemon on top with dinner/lunch everyday.
So, here was I, like everyday, protecting myself from the speeding vehicles and cycles, looking for a roadside vegetable vendor who had the most fresh cucumber of the whole market. Selecting and rejecting as if freshness matters a lot, just a showoff, because I know that finding fresh vegetables in this market is like finding a needle in a hay.
The main market, both side of the road is filled with thelas of different kinds. You can find everything here... recently a new momo stall has also come up, though it is completely different thing that I will never eat momo there. There are lots of chowmin thelas and people waiting with their hungry eyes for the chowmin maker to finish making their order. Similar is the condition with the juice thela, burger, jalebis and others.
Some boys are doing stunts in the center of the market just in front of the egg thela. It looks really funny to see someone doing wheelie in a Splendor Bike but they are unaware. Oh... there are a couple of girls drinking juice and that must be the reason for the stunts, the girls, class 10 or 11 maybe and their copy in their hands tell me that they are returning from their tuition The juice shop and the egg shop nearby are crowded today, hope you now know the reason. ;)
There I am, waiting to cross the road, because I see that the shop on the other side has fresh khiras, or is it that 'the grass always looks greener the other side' funda? I don't know but I must check. So many people have already crossed the road and I am still there waiting for that last auto to pass. Meanwhile a bike passes by me, three persons seated comfortably on it, one sees me and shouts 'abey Chinese, kya haal hai?' And I say 'Mast hai Behenc***'. One thing is sure, nowadays I have learnt to swear in their language. And I swear often, because it makes me feel I am one among them and not a chinese.
With some additional efforts, I am on the other side of the road, unhurt, unhit by the cycles and autos, lucky I guess. There is this old aunt on the shop. I check the cucumbers and find it perfect, or atleast I tell that to myself. After asking a couple of time 'khira kaisey diya(this is how you ask the rate here)?', she replies 'haanji... 20 rupee kilo'. I get my necessary stuffs, pay her and am on my way back.
On my way, there is this shop with a big board 'Theka Desi Sarab'. The most unhygenic place I have seen in the entire market, smelling like someone has just now puked or maybe had a loo somewhere there. I curse myself for not carrying the mask. I look towards the theka, the shop is fully protected by the iron grill and a small window at the center from where only one bottle can be passed at one time. I don't know what this protection is for!! So many people near the small window with their money in their hand waiting for their turn and thirsty as hell I guess. Meanwhile, I nearly get hit by a cycle as I lost my concentration and loosing concentration in the market can be very costly. 'Arrey bhai dekh k chaliyo....' I shout pretending that it wasn't my fault. This is what this place has taught me, to never accept your fault. ;)
Little ahead, there is this computer cafe with a board 'Sai Computer Salution(not solution).... seller and purchuse(not purchase) of old computers'. I smile, wondering who did that flex printing. And not to forget there is this saloon from where I most of the time take the risk of having my hair cut and allow the barbers there to experiment on my hair. The board of the saloon reads, 'Fashon Saloon... Mail & Femail'. You may wonder how brave I am to go to the saloon, the only reason is the bhaiya out there is very friendly....
Little futher, there is this tent on the roadside where this large family lives. I remember clearly some days ago there was only two tents and now there is long series of tents, 5 or 6 maybe and seems one more family is added tonight because some people are busy making a tent on the only space available. Now I have started recognizing the face of some of the people living on that tent. One aunt specially because once she pointed towards me and said to her husband, 'Nepali... dekh!' and I felt happy, atleast someone calls me Nepali(who I really am). Today also as I pass through the series of tent, my eyes are searching for that aunt and there she is busy making chapatis for her family... a dirty shawl wrapped across her body, her legs seems uncleaned for ages, hair full of dust, sweats dripping down her chin[probably due to the heat of the fire) but still some glow in her face, happy face indeed... I wonder how she can cook and eat in this dusty place... But it is all about your needs and circumstances.
Then finally comes my favorite sugarcane juice shop but today I ignore the sound of the motor or juice extractor whatever they call that thing, because my throat has been paining recently.
A girl passes me by, and we exchange glances, how can she manage to be on the street at this time of the night? Its too dark already... But she is born and raised in this place, maybe for her its totally safe or normal, I guess! But still, she has to be inside her home, isn't it? Then suddenly I realize that I too have started to think like a person of this place. Pity me....
Now I start wondering what would I be doing at this time if O was at home? This time I would either be watching football with my father or helping my mom in the kitchen(thinking to marry soon so that my mom has company) or the most interesting thing, I would be karaoking with my brother in my room with full volume of my woofer(so much fun). By the time, I am back in the room and writing this post, I would have probably had the food cooked by the best cook of the world (my mom) and already on bed or having a sip of red wine hiding from my parents!!
God... I miss my home. I miss my state!!
