The heat wave is washing over the city. The humidity is at an all time high. Now I’m not the one complaining. I’m good with warm sunny days. It is for these that I returned to the city. A walk in the sun makes you all sweaty. I went to work today at 1 pm. Just to experience the wave. Embrace it.
The train ride was sweaty. Everyone sat in silence. A small girl was trying to sell pens. She was tired. She walked barefoot on the hot metal floor. No one bought the pens. We didn’t need them. Then what did we need anyway? If Buddha lived in this age, he would have seen all three sad things in one train ride. All the world’s sadness and inequity is always on sharp display in the train. It makes you think, really hard about your choices.
The afternoon rickshaw ride was windy but the wind that blowed was hot. Yes, it’s nothing like the loo. But it was still warm. I felt drained out by the time I was indoors. I needed electral, all the salts now lost out through the pores of my skin. I was grateful that I was well fed, small mercies.
By the time I left, a cool wind had started to blow. The train ride was comfortable. I even got a place to sit. Evening passed very soon. I didn’t catch the sunset but nor did I end up with a headache. I kept thinking about that little girl, barely 5 years old and selling pens on the train, with no chappals. This was dystopia I concluded and went off to bed.