Thursday, August 17, 2006

overheard...

ok...so i am taking Sallu out to lunch today and as ususal i had to drag her out of bed and as of now am waiting outside her room for her to get ready...women!! nah...just Sallu!!

anyways, i kindda left the story halfways yesterday since i was running out of time and the Cyber Cafe guy was also quite keen on kicking me out just so that he could close shop. so let me yap on futher...

did i ever tell ya all that i really enjoy travelling in the local trains that connect the different cities in India (basically within the same state). it really gives me immesurable joy to be able to sit back and observe the people in their day to day walk. the incessant banter, the laughter and the fights, the grumpy man and the tiny beggar kid. they all are a source of observatory delight. i really have done my best to try and push myself into the daily grind of what is the Indian Life. the very second day back on homesoil and i was already sitting on my arse on the hard wooden seat of the general compartment of the Ahmedabad-Baroda memu (local train). the landscape outside was one immersed in water and the floods ravaged the various districts of Gujarat. Surat was badly hit and totally cut off from the world for almost 4 days, Baroda had just had its share of the calamity with the Vishwamitri river overflowing. the various dams across the state had to be opened due to increasing fears of the water pressure buliding up to the level where they would burst the entire bloody dam...in short...Gujarat is one fucked up place at the moment. anyways, sitting there in the compartment i couldn't but help over hear the following conversation:

(i have translated the entire conversation into English for the benefit of my readers, but there is no doubt that i have failed completely in capturing the essence of the conversation that took palce in 3 different accents of Gujarati)

man 1: (to a couple sitting across him) so where are you from?

man 2 (the couple): we are from Surat...going to Valsad.

lady 1: oh, Surat!! that city really got the burnt of God's fury this time during the floods. so how is the local situation now? i saw in the news last night that there are carcasses stuck in the mud till date.

lady 2 (the couple): oh yes, the situation is quite bad. but not that bad. the carcasses can only be seen near the river bank. the rest of the city is full of mud but they are trying to clean it up.

man 2 (the couple): the mud is almost 2 feet deep in some areas of the city.

man 1: yeah, the rains this year have been like never before. and its still not over. they say that there is more rain to follow in the next few days.


man 2 (the couple): yeah, even i heard that. but i tell you, the amount of damage done by the floods is already unimaginable. wonder what would happen if the rains don't stop soon.


lady 1: (directed to lady 2) but tell me, with all this rain and floods, all the sarees must have got spoilt??

lady 2 (the couple): yes, most of my sarees got spolit. but i did manage to save a few.

man 3 (the guy standing): bah!!! people are dying and all the ladies can talk about is the damage done to sarees!! women!!


by this time everyone who was listening to the converstation that took place amongst totally anonymous strangers, who never even asked each other their names, were laughing and even i couldn't but help sport the ear to ear grin....

anyways, Sallu is ready now and i gotta go. so until later folks!!

;)

6 comments:

gP said...

its always interesting to travel on trains, so nice to see people talk. Ive seen a few fights also...not major ones though. Will want to do mroe when I come to India...sarees...next they want to save the TV so that they can watch the serials...

SCRIBBLEZ TO WAKEUP said...

Hiiii....Surely this is someting anyone would laugh hearing or overhearing...We call it "When we r having an elephant talk, you are giving a cat talk".....I am doing a bad translation....Sometimes we wonder if women say such things because they r dumb or because they dont want to talk or remember the serious scary things in life always....Nice one though! :)

Astral said...

My first visit to your blog too. Quite liked it.

Kishley (Dolly Sapra) said...

lol.. girls will always remain girls.. ouch.. women shd always remain women.. :) u cant do nething to change them :) you know talking abt trivial matters doesnt mean they were not worried about the serious stuff and teh destruction..

susanne said...

Now I know what you meant with the floods of Gujarat you mentioned in your last comment... that sounds bad, really...hopefully the situation will be better soon for all people in the region...

The conversation is funny. You see women's interests all over the world are so very simple :-)
In any case I think it's calming talking about sarees in such situations.

gP said...

ok...times up...next post please.