A few of my favourite things

Its my favourite place in the world. Okay, in Pune, but for a frog in the well like me, its really the same thing. A bridge on a river that runs behind my house, whose name i know with a probability of half (there being only two rivers in Pune...). A graveyard on one bank, grass gone wild on the other. Grey, slow moving water. Home to some aquatic forms, but more prominently to plastic bags, dried flowers and other assorted waste generously contributed by the masses. And of course the accompanying stench. Serving as bathroom cum dhobi ghat for the surrounding settlements.

Yeah, thats what you'd see.

What I see (because very cleverly, i go only after the sun has set, when it is too dark for the water to look grey) are the bright city lights lighting up the water. A solitary boatman on his boat. Random flashes of some fish. The coolest wind in my hair, no sign of no stench. Stars so near, i can reach out and touch them. The feel of the bridge as it shakes a little when a bus goes by. And if i'm lucky, a train goes by on the twin railway bridge, light and dark, light and dark, all faithfully reflected in the water below.

In case you think i've lost it. I took a bunch of cousins there last weekend. And they saw what i saw. Except that the young ones were convinced the end of the word had come every time a bus went by.

My second favourite place in the world. A tiny stone wall running by a tree on the main road, with a top is so low and so flat, its more like a bench. I can sit there for hours, listening to songs, watching the world go by. The only distractions being travellers who stop by for a "break". (A wall by the road. And trees. What do you expect?)

As i made my way to the second one yesterday, everything looked new. And green. I couldnt find the damn bench! I walked on for a few seconds with a totally melodramatic expression on my face, this cant be happening, this cant be happening looping in my head. Then just like that i remembered this Monty Python sketch, which i often think is the most brilliant way of saying life goes on. And i had to smile. Suddenly, it didnt matter.

I walked on, revelling in the glorious weather. Up ahead there was this guy lying on his bike, looking up at the sky. Please dont be on the phone, please dont be on the phone, in my head again, but the idiot was. Should have pushed him off and taken over.

P.S. Another one exits. I take solace in Monty Python. And to her i say, shine on, you crazy diamond!
And lets try and make it to that movie this weekend?