Off the city streets.

I drove off the beaten path.

The scooter and I have an understanding now.  I’m no longer afraid of it laughing at me in its slumber as I try to choke it awake.  Its old and rusty.  But its sturdy and fast.  Starts every time.  I’ve been venturing farther and farther with my scoot scoot because of this new comfort.

I got away from the noise of the city.  Just barely off a busy street.  Its quiet here.  My toes are tickled by sand.  I stand in what must be an old soccer field.  Rusty old goal posts still stand proud, unused.  Vibrant green shrubbery surround this sand field.  Huts poking out from the stubby trees.  Its peaceful here.  I can here the smack of fabric against a rock or tree.  A woman shaking the dampness out of her sari before hanging to dry.  A few cries from children playing in the distance reach my ears.  Little ones, too small for school, since it is only midday.  A man on a bicycle lazily peddles along.  His “cargo” roped behind him.  On his way to make a delivery.  An ancient form of transportation but cheap and reliable nonetheless.

I’m less than a kilometer from my flat.  Happy to have discovered a sanctuary from the urban bustle.  I’m surprised that this precious piece of land hasn’t been inundated yet.  No slum.  No IT buildings.  No push to urbanize.  Why, when land is nabbed and developed so quickly in this growing city?

Cemeteries surround me.  Each surrounded by a cement wall.  Categorized by religion.  Hindu adjacent to Christian.  Muslim adjacent to the latter.  Ancestors resting in their final place.  Moved on to be one with their proper gods.

The air is fresh.  A cool breeze brushes my skin.  No sting in my nostrils from urine, garbage, or otherwise.  I ask myself, How has this place stayed so clean?

Golden Palms Army school lies just down the road.  A giant compound surrounded by a high cement wall.  Shards of glass protruding out from the top.  Keeps the riff-raff out.  The compound, although military, and most likely government funded, still fits the Indian profile.  Maintenance lacks.  The white-wash has been worn away.  Windows dark and thick with grime.  Overgrown landscaping.  The wear of the sun, wind and rain ages the structures.  The buildings are clean enough, I suppose, but by no means meet the standards I would expect from a military school.  This is India.  Standards for infrastructure only hold exceptional levels when coinciding with an IT company.  A foreign company outsourced for cheap labor.  Ebay, Dell, HP, etc.  All stand tall.  Glistening in the sun.  Unique architecture with beautiful landscaping.  Beautiful colored glass reflecting the skies.  They always look alien amongst their native counterparts.

Two little girls peddle a bicycle across the sandy field from me.  Each taking a tun on what must be their greatest form of entertainment.  Their clothes clean but worn.  Possibly the only set of clothes they own.  The girls are barefoot.  Common for lower castes in India.  Shoes aren’t a requirement in this country.  And nobody looks twice at an employee in a shoe store whose barefoot.  I wouldn’t dare journey into the streets of India with unprotected toes.  Its anyone’s guess what lies in the filth and puddles which natives walk through.  But those two little girls are happy.  Unaware of the giant world around them.  This is their world and will be their world until they pass on and join their gods in the appropriate cemetery across the way.  The little girls have what they have and that’s just that.  Nothing more, nothing less.

I’m lucky to know where I come from.  And even more lucky to know what this side of the world is like as well.  Its a contradiction and yet a parallel.  Its inspiration to strive for more.  And its a thought provoker.  If the population keeps growing at such an alarming rate, in this country, and people continue to live in the manner that they do.  No proper sewage or rubbish disposal.  What will this side of the world look like in 5-10 years?  And the people that I know, back home, in that tiny mid-western town, may not be affected at the moment.  But its inevitable.  Eventually, they will.

Advertisement