The Oasis

I am one of the migratory, transitory birds dipping into the ocean of studies/coaching in Chandigarh. Right now, I part of the tribe of mothers as identified by Moses as the stressed out crazy paranoid mothers who have embraced every God, Goddess in the hope their child does well in the holy grail of make or break boards.

To preserve my sanity for the next child in line, I walk. I walk in one of the innumerable parks of City Beautiful. To introduce you, the park is an oasis of entertainment, non-stop soap opera style in a world that is increasingly online. We will all like the status, we will comment about everything that ails the system but to be the change so that something happens well that is a bit too much. Who has the time, is the favorite reply.

The green, well thought of park amongst the sector is quaintly charming. Let me introduce you to the regulars here .The love birds who sit here with no shame or inhibitions. It is like watching a 70’s movie, they sit so sweetly on the benches, openly or some even behind the trees, wrapped around each other with no care for the world, that you think little hearts will float around them. They visit the park in the middle of the day! Then, the park has the authorized maalis/ gardeners who are supposed to keep the park maintained. Well they do their work but mostly what they do is sun bathe. I have come to the conclusion they are the fore runners of the nudist beaches of Europe.

In fact, they align their cycles in a row, hang their tiffin’s on the trees to avoid scavengers like dogs and lie in, soaking in the sun and earning a wage.

I must thank Maneka ji here, for supporting the stray dog population which rules the place like the person fiefdom, never mind that yours truly got bitten here. My leg must look like a tasty morsel! Or maybe it is the alien smell of Punjab that does not gel with the hoity –toity matrons of these sectors.

Ah! The madams are adorable. They are called, didi, bibiji, bibaji or madam depending accordingly. They power –walk dressed in designer shiny fare walking to lose the sneaky kilo that somehow just adds up .The conversations are priceless; they gain weight because they do not eat anything; its just the crazy hectic social calendar. The common characteristic these ladies have is the French manicured finger on speed dial to update about the gossip gleaned.

My favorite group is the group of oldies. The adorable, sweet men and woman who sit in groups from 3 in the afternoon to the last warm dying ray. They come together to maintain their dignity, self-respect drawn together by a common need for company amongst the hustle bustle of their homes. They come, share, stories wizened faces, wearing glasses and holding canes with back straights. This is my core group; they are the ones who I talk to. In fact, I wish all of us would take out time to spend time with them, learning from life’s experiences as they are the one’s who are the back bone of life.

It does not take time when the green turns to brown , so one should hurry.