Lunchtime Ritual

I came to office today determined to do a lot of work. But as soon as I occupied my chair I don’t know what happened. I was getting very restless. Lunchtime came and I had a nice chat with my colleagues. I have a lunchtime ritual. After lunch, I usually walk just outside the premises and talk for a while on the phone. Invariably, it is my sister I chat with. She always gives me a patient ear. I was cribbing to her: “I do not feel like working, I wonder what is wrong with me. If I do some work today I will not have to die to complete everything tomorrow,” and on and on like that. She was making all the soothing noises at the other end.

While talking to her a man walks nearby. I watch quitely (still talking on the phone) standing amidst cars, security guards and tall glass buildings just a few feet away, housing some big name software companies. His face is almost expressionless, eyes vacant. He goes to the edge and rummages through the kachra (litter thrown around) and picks up an empty box that must have contained some takeaway meal. Puts it in the chadar (sheet) on his shoulder and face still expressionless, he moves on.

And here I was leaning on a car, having this mobile phone in my hand, wearing appropriately warm clothes, with lunch in my stomach, complaining about god knows what! It is not that I have seen this for the first time (or the last) but some days it bothers you, gets on your nerves and makes you feel more helpless than some other days, when you just shrug it off.

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