On a Rainy Day

It rained two days back here in Coimbatore. It was about 4 in the afternoon- just the time to grab a steaming glass of tea from the nearby teashop..okay so 'grab' was the wrong word there. I was not that desperate as to grab a glass of tea. But you get my drift. Got out of my office and was about to step out into the great wide open when the truth dawned on me. It was still raining and I had no umbrella. So I could not go out- not yet (Wonder why it took so long for Einstein here to figure it out). So I just stood at the doorstep of the building waiting for the rain to stop. Life outside had changed colours. There were not many people out on the streets. Just the odd biker and the less odder cyclist. Both were hurrying elsewhere in the rain, the difference though was that one was wearing a helmet and the other had ingeniously drawn a plastic carrybag over his head. A stray dog trotted past, apparently in no particular hurry..hell, he even took the time to take in the scenery around him as he trotted past..was probably laughing ( i am sure he would have, if he could have) at how limited mankind could sometimes be. Ok ok ..i guess I am getting philosophical here. Time to change tracks.

So it was raining..it soon stopped doing that (raining I mean)..the blogger seized the opportunity of a day-time and hopped on to his bike and drove down to the nearby tea shop.

Now this place I went to is no class-joint. It is just a small ramshackle of a place which serves tea, coffee and some quite tasty bites. I was having my usual cup of tea and cigarette and pondering on the great questions troubling my universe (like whether I should have my dosas that night with onions in them or should I rather have the usual no-frills, no-fills, no-thrills ordinary dosa..if this sounds silly to you, then trust me, it is not..it's a very profound question). There was also the very pressing issue of when exactly I would actually get down to some exercising! This issue had been plaguing for quite some time now..for more details, read Joggernaut

So, like I said, there I was.

I have realised that it is a good idea to ponder over such ponderous issues while gazing at the tea in your glass. It helps to focus your concentration..or keep your focus concentrated..whichever way you'd like to read it..And I was doing just that, when my right ear heard an angry outburst of something. I lost my focus and turned in the direction my ear beckoned me. A woman, perhaps in her 40s or something, was walking down the road..she carried a huge bundle on her head, one frail dark hand held it in place..she was walking calmly down the street..and then without the slightest provocation, she turned around and started mouthing profanities..now I am no authority on the Tamil language and I could make no sense of her words.But the tone was universal..she didnt seem to be abusing anyone in particular..after spewing those words out, she resumed walking..every few metres she would turn around and start abusing or shouting at some imaginary victim..there were people in the direction she was shouting at..but they didnt seem to be the intended recipients of her message..she was soon in front of the teashop..the people around the tea shop uncomfortably faced away..they seem embarassed at being there and were probably afraid of being the victim..

She was dark and frail..i have written that she was about 40 but I cant really say..she was dressed in a saree(?) that looked brown in color, but judging from her appearance, i thought that it was not always that colour.Her hair was dirty and short..her cheeks were hollowed in..but it was her eyes that scared or worried you..they seemed to pop out of their sockets and they looked very very angry..especially when she was raving..and her voice..it was not a voice..more like a rasping croak..but there was a lot of hatred in that croak..she shouted at us too..and her words made no more sense from a few inches than it did from a few metres away. As she had done earlier, she shouted at us and then turned and went about her business..

I kept watching her, out of my curiosity, to see how long she would keep this routine up..and all the time I was watching her, she didnt change her routine-walk,stop,turn,shout,turn, and walk again. Soon she came to a crossroad and turned away from my sight.

My eyes returned to their usual target-the cup of tea..now much cooler..but I could not take my mind off that woman..she was evidently one of those whom we simply call 'mad'..but she wouldn't have been like that right from the day she was born..she wouldn't have always looked that scary..I asked the tea shop owner and he had no idea either..evidently someone had tried to take her to an institution but with not much success..she soon came back onto the streets..

I saw her again yesterday..the same bundle on her head, the same clothes, the same loud abusive rasp..and the same angry and hate-filled look..