Monday, September 12, 2016

Autoing to Borivili market


Borivili (W) municipal market is dirty; perhaps, the uncleanest spot in Borivili; police and municipal offices make the edges; perhaps, eases collection of haftas from men and women of UP, Bihar, Jharkhand and Chattisgarh, sweltering on the roads, selling all the world wants; something like ease of doing business. Rama and me had to make it with Maveli, not Vamana, calling up and promising to have Onam sadhi at home on Wednesday; 'Varum, theerchhaya varum,' Maveli mobiled Rama with flowers. Going by Maveli poetry, Maveli era was better than Vamana times; Maveli country with rice, payasams, ponds, coconuts with braided hair, sloped, tiled roofs, rains and an inherent decency missing in Vamana and now Pinarayai acreages. First halt, Kerala Stores a high hole inside Borivili market; ordered sweet banana chips, valya pappadams, pickles and all that going into a Onam slurpy afternoon. A hundred rupee note is a Rs. 10 note despite Arvind Subramanian, chief economic adviser. But that's vikas. 'Enthu vila,' said a Malayali lady without a grudge spotting Maveli trying out ripe bananas. Maveli had coins of his era. We shared Onam aashmsakal. 'Happy Onam,' voiced Maveli, in T-shirt and jeans. This is the time when Sanju at Kerala Stores is busy filling a wooden money box. He will not shut shop for Onam on Wednesday as all shops in that area. Rama was keen on a iron tava to make crisp dosas, tired of those coming off a non-stick branded tava; iron tavas are not branded and cost Rs.190 a piece; 'we are open all days in the week,' said the owner of Satyam with a open-ended grin as Rama inquired of a Milton water can; 'naya stocks do din mein ayega,' the owner warmed pocketing Rs.190; then came a pause at a plastic shop to pick up a plastic stool costing Rs.270; two boys, from Patna and Elahabad, showed us many models and chose one pink item for us; as we were doing a buy-sell deal, one of them said shops are open through the week, not only for festivals; three months ago, shops had a Thursday off; now, 10 in the morning to 10 in the night, he earns a monthly salary of Rs.9,000 for a 7-day week with no let ups; half-holiday for Ganesh and Deepavali; he is a 10-pass from Elahabad and tried to contact Amitabh; failed. Perhaps, much before the new rule, STM (for freshly ground and powdered pea berry coffee seeds) was and is the lone shop working through the year. It may do us well if New Delhi scraps labour, rural, health and other ministries; sets up a corporate ministry with the finance ministry having a desk; corporates will decide on GDP growth, interest rates on bank loans, run elections ..... sedition charges will visit all protests .... we got into an auto; on Yogi Nagar Road municipal workers were bringing down wooden kiosks on pavements... police holding sticks like AK 47s, tambakooed; 'kya huva,' me queried; 'kuch nahin, hafta officer ke pass nahin pahuncha hoga; ye neeche wale kha lete hain,' smirked the auto driver and he should know; 'police tho apne bibise bhi hafta lete hain, ye Bambai hai,' he added. We paid him. Maveli,  Onam aashamsakal.

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