Mori Road has now it’s own food court and much to my disappointment the food court is right under my balcony window. It is an assortment of unauthorized food stalls and is not international in it’s spread but you could certainly claim national coverage. Right from the breakfast hour the stalls start serving till well after sunset. Idlis, Dosas, Pav Bhaji, Puri Bhaji and even to my surprise sweets from Bengal are sold.
As a result, a motley crowd of people assemble under my balcony every day especially during the eating hours. These are folks who are office goers, taxi drivers, students at the nearby school, folks from my colony and even the local policemen on the beat. Lately the food stalls had arranged for basic seating amenities.
I certainly did not welcome the intrusion under my balcony. It was a perch I often enjoyed sitting in solitude, just watching life amble by. Now it had become so busy. Added to that the local counselor had set up a huge lamppost with five halogen lights that lit up the area almost like daylight after dark. The lights shone right into my house, so it irked me even more. It was like invading my personal space.
The busiest person in the food stall was a boy called Tambi. From my balcony, I could hear everyone yell “Tambi” all the time and he would come running and do their bidding. A little like the genie from Aladin’s magic lamp. He did everything around the place from cleaning the tables, to setting up the stalls in the morning to washing the dishes etc. He even managed the sales when his seniors were not around.
Tambi and I often exchanged glances, when I stood at the balcony and he seemed like a friendly fellow. He would wave and I would smile back. His trademark was that he never missed having three horizontal white lines on his forehead and had a loosely fitting half pant held in place by a belt. His shirt was a bit long and covered most of his half pant and he wore floaters most of the time. I guessed he must have been from the southern parts of India.
It was the evening before Mahalaya. I had to head down to complete a few chores. Chandu our local "kirana" shop owner had a bunch of customers at his doorstep. I had a long list and I needed his attention. “Come back in ten minutes. Am really busy now. We will complete your list”. I did not want to take the flight of stairs back to my house yet again, so decided to wait it out near Tambi’s food court. “You are finally here. Welcome.” Tambi was grinning. “What will you have sir?” I smiled “Oh, I am just waiting around here. I don’t need anything.” I said. Before I could say anything Tambi was back “Please have some tea and it is free from our side.” And he held out a “cutting chai” from serving tray. I obliged “Thank you!”
As I sipped my tea, the unexpected happened. The entire area was plunged into darkness. It did happen at times in our area. “The transformers must have given away again” I thought. Tambi was running around now, making sure all his customers felt comfortable. The ingenious little fellow that he was, he got a motorcycle owner eating at his stall to switch his headlight on. “All Ok sir” he asked me. “I am afraid I bought you bad luck. The first time I come to your shop and the light has gone.” Almost instantly he replied “The light is not important sir. How is the chai?” This time he spoke in English. “Could not be better Tambi” I said. I was curious “Do you go to school.” I asked. “Yes sir, the municipal school near the church.” With that we broke into a conversation. Tambi’s real name was Krishna.
Krishna lived with his parents in Dharavi and his family had migrated to the city very recently. The family had fallen on hard times and he worked here at the stall to support the family income. The owner of this “food court” a local chieftain, had granted him permission to attend school in the afternoons when business was low and he would be back at the shop before twilight and work till about 10 pm. “My exams are going on. I hope the light comes back tonight, else I will not be able to study. Since the time they have put up this huge lamp-post, there is enough light here to study at the shop after completing my work. If I go home and study I may fall asleep. I feel tired at the end of the day”
It had been a while since the lights had gone out. It was time to get home and I was sure Chandu would be even more hassled than ever with the black out. I reasoned that it was better to visit Chandu the next morning. I thanked Tambi and offered to pay him for the chai but he would not take it. He gave me a mobile number to call and order things from their shop and he promised to deliver the goodies personally for me. “Best of luck for your exams tomorrow” I said as I prepared to go home.
As I was about to leave, I heard the drum beats in the distance “The Goddess is on the way” exclaimed Tambi and did a small jig. “You should wait a little” he said. Mori Road was still plunged in darkness. It would take a few moments before we could see the procession arrive. The Pandal across the road was ready to receive her. The drum beats grew louder by the minute and the procession came into view. The darkness did not affect the spirit of the revellers and you could see their dancing silhouettes in the darkness as they approached.
The procession approached the pandal and the drums fell silent. In the darkness, it was getting difficult to dismount the idol and take it into the pandal. There was a lot of commotion. I could see Tambi praying fervently to the Goddess. He bowed his head with reverence, and as if on cue the electricity of the area was restored. With renewed enthusiasm, the drums started beating again. Rows of twinkling lights lit up the street along with the halogen lamps on the big lamp post. Mori was bedecked like a bride again. “She bought the light back” quipped Tambi. “Yes, you can study for your exams now”
I headed home, quite late for dinner and my wife said “What took you so long and where is the list of things I gave you to buy? And where were you wandering in this darkness?” “Just got busy with some people downstairs” I mumbled. We completed dinner and I headed to the balcony. Peering over the balcony ledge, I saw Tambi, huddled over a table with his books open, studying. “Wonder what subject he is working at?” I looked up at the halogen lights, Somehow, I did not resent them as much now.
It was the morning of Mahalaya and the sun rose painting the eastern sky in a warm glow of beautiful colours. The chants of the Chandi filled the air with the rendition of Birendra Krishna Bhadra and some beautiful songs. I was at my balcony and Tambi and his crew were back at work early morning setting up court. He looked up and our eyes met. We waved at each other and I decided to take him up on his offer. I took my phone and ordered a breakfast of “puri bhaji” with the “cutting chai”. I looked down and saw Tambi and he held up his mobile acknowledging the order. “What are you doing?” my wife asked. “I just ordered our breakfast. To surprise you. Puri Bhaji and cutting chai for Mahalaya.” She looked surprised. “Swiggy will not find anyone open this early in the morning?” she said. “Don’t worry, this is the local Swiggy at Mori Road and it is express service”
Soon my doorbell rang and Tambi was there with our order. “Sir, here you go. See you are my customer now. But why did you not order anything for the last two years?” he asked. “I was upset with all that was going on below my balcony and the halogen lights etc, but you seem to have resolved that last night with your chai.” I said. “Our chai has magic in it sir. One sip and all your worries will be gone.” he said. I nodded in agreement.
“Hope you are prepared for your exams? What is your subject today?” He paused and said “Science. Do you know plants breathe through their leaves and they have something called “Chlorophyll” to help them make their food? Is that not amazing how it all works?” he said. I thought for a moment and said “Actually it is amazing, only no one ever told me that. All the best for your exams.” With that Krishna smiled and vanished.
We ushered in Mahalaya with the steaming "puri bhaji" and "cutting chai".
Mori Road still holds out it’s magic for this day every year. This time it was a new friend. Krishna a.k.a Tambi.
Happy Pujo folks
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