Mornings in Mumbai, though not really cold but are dark. In
this darkness, the street lights are consorting with the moon, which is yet to
set, to spread the light.
There is enough traffic on the road to refer this time of
the day as ‘peak hours’.
The watch on your wrist seems to be deceiving as it shows
6.30 am.
Just 6.30 am and yet another ‘busy’ day in the life of
‘Mumbaikars’ has already begun.
Amidst the plethora of auto rickshaws, school buses and milk
vans as you hurriedly make your way towards your bus stop (that place, where
you will meet your daily commuting agent, the company bus which will further
take you to your workplace), you come across another bus stop where the kids
are waiting along with either of their parents for the school buses.
It is here you overhear a voice,
“आई, आज bus आलीच
नाही पहिजे...”
(“Mother, I wish, the bus should not come today”)
Unable to resist your smile, you look in the direction of
the voice, the little boy must not be more than six-seven years of age. This
reminds you of the famous Marathi nursery rhyme, “सांग सांग
भोलानाथ, पाउस पडेल
काय?” (where the kids pray to
the Lord Shiva, to tell them if it would rain so that they will get a holiday
from school) But, it isn’t monsoon and the sky shows no signs of rains so the
school kid can only pray that the bus shouldn’t come.
Somewhere in your mind you pray to the God that the little
boy’s wish should come true.
Somewhere in your mind, the song, “सांग भोलानाथ,
पाऊस पडेल काय?”
keeps playing and you realise that you have reached your bus stop.
“Hi, Good Morning... what’s up?” One of your colleagues who
has already reached the bus stop greets you.
“You know what?
“आज bus आलीच नाही
पहिजे...”
You reply spontaneously.
