The place I call home could be aptly described as a despicable part of a despicable town of a despicable state, well in a wonderful country called India. I wanted to use the word ‘shitty’ and if you replace it now, you will not only locate it better, you would get a sense of smell as well.
Let me put it this way; you never ask a person if he is from Meerut. If he’s from Meerut, he’ll tell you, if he isn’t there is no need to embarrass him. I could not say more about Meerut and the people of Meerut without affixing a ‘Parental Advisory’ label to this post.
The Armchair Politicians
But home is home, no matter how dull, dreary and dilapidated it is. You always wish it well, you are proud of it; you want the best for it and you wish it were as good as you would like it to be. And when you wish, you run into a proverbial clause that states if wishes were horses….
People I meet belong to the upper middle class of the city; they run profitable businesses, reside in nice homes, employ at least one servant, steal taxes and cuss the politicians for being politicians. But in the defense of the politician, I must say that we get the leaders and police we deserve, not we desire.
So they all cussed and scorned, and engorged upon the delights and tumescent around waist, and around their brain.
Rohtas Misthan Bhandar
(Loosely translated Rohtas Sweet Repository, though it is shop)
There are streets one must never take, places one must never go , especially if the directions say ‘Eidgah ke peeche” (Behind Eidgah). But if you do reach the Eidgah of Meerut, take this particular route that can be simply described as a street wide enough for a man and his beast, with a red brick wall on one side and on the other side,a ganda nala (open sewage drain – translation does not do justice). After going a certain distance, you will chance upon a sweet shop right in the middle of two open drains that are overflowing with a slush of discarded sweets and buffalo dung.
Now that my dear reader is the best Sweet Shop in the whole wide world, and mind you I have seen my share of the world. The memories of that place are as sweet and delightful as their fare.
…to be concluded..