The woman wears a lime green sari and a scowl that suits her acidic six yard garb. There is a whiff of Cinthol in the air as Nylex Nalini passes by. Does she bathe before coming to the park? Is each lap a sacred perambulation around a garbha griha *of bamboo trees, sleeping men and young lovers who spend more time texting one another than touching? She remembers a friend of Amma's, a woman who would go marching up to these tanned Laila-Majnus and ask them in a loud grating voice if they knew how hard their parents worked to educate them and why they were wasting their youth on love. Yet another woman marches past. Her curly hair tamed in to a tight braid, dupatta starched and pinned in a ‘V’ – a look more suited for a school girl rather than on a woman of 50. ish. In their uniformly baggy shorts, soft veshtis* and tired looking Tommy t shirts the men rarely attract her attention. Except one. He wears his Jockey boxers as shorts and struts about. She wants to tell him what they are meant for, but is scared he will say ‘I know’.
* garbha griha - womb chamber in a temple
* veshti - dhoti
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4 comments:
"nylex nalini" I will never forget! My Dad was the one in the house who came up with such creative nicknames for people we barely know, but have to discuss. Thanks for the wonderful entry!
Last sentence - don't you mean "what they are meant for"?
'Nylex Nalini!'....hilarious :)
Hilarious! Despite being slightly blank-noiseish, that last sentence takes the cake.
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