Morning Nostalgia

by: Poonam Chawla   

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Temple bhajans lingering
Gurdwara sounds fading


Allah O Akbars receding
Sitar sounds emerging from the TV and radio
Dozens of crows cawing the alarm
Mosquitoes a little less active now
Padlocks being opened
The doorbell begins to ring and double doors swing
Newspapers tied in rubber bands landing on concrete
Vendors pitching their morning sales
Housewives bargaining for fresh fruits and vegetables
Sound of scales and weights finalizing the rates
Passing neighbors bowing with Namastes
Sound of tap water gushing into a plastic bucket
While the first maid beats the dirt off the clothes
Her daughter or sister sweeps last night’s dust off the floors
Before mopping with rags dipped in phenyl n water
Another cleaning woman washing the utensils
And the untouchable waits patiently at the door
Ready to take the smelly garbage away
The milkman slowly tilting the can
To pour the milk into the pan
While the Gurkhaman wipes the car of grime
Dhobhi busy heating his old-fashioned coals
While his wife goes to collect the sun-dried clothes
Voice from the kitchen counting the number of bed-teas required
Glucose biscuits and crackers being arranged on plates
Lining up for a bath to beat the power cut and water ration
Scooters being kick jumped
Cars taking off one by one
All this was long ago
In another country, another planet, another life
My daily Indian Morning
And yours too, perhaps ?