Breakfast Philosophy at 32,000 feet

Rajabhau aka my blogger and FB friend Priyadarshan Kale,is a connoiseur of traditional Maharashtrian foods, an expert on where you get the best stuff, and often posts amazing photos of the foods on FB. He mostly drives to these places.

 He recently flew Mumbai-Bengaluru on any early morning flight, possibly on an empty stomach.

 He was tormented by the inability of the breakfast trolley , which appeared to be moving at snails pace across the rows, to reach him, way at the back of the plane.

 And he desperately posted his hungry and angry status on FB.

This poem was posted in response and support ....
(Marathi and English versions side by side ....a new experiment)

अवकाशातील आसनांमधली लक्षवेधक हालचाल , सुमधुर स्मितांचे गणवेशातले हाय-फाय फवारे , ढकल गाडीच्या गुप्त पोटातून बाहेर येणारे उपमा,वडे व टोस्ट चे खमंग ट्रे. राजाभाऊ , शेवटून तिसऱ्या ओळीत खडबडून जागे होत्तात ; पोटात मिसळीला लाज वाटावी इतकी कालवाकालव , क्षणोक्षणी हवाई सुंदरीचा येणारा राग , आणि एवढ्यात फोन वाजतो (स्पैसजेट मध्ये चालतं)..... "अहो, म्हटलं नाश्ता झाला का ? जरा अर्धा तास असता तर साबुदाणा खिचडीचा डबा दिला असता ....." आणि राजाभाऊ पुनाश्च डोळे बंद करतात , पट्टा आवळतात , मग दात ओठ आवळतात , आणि मुंबईचे रस्त्यांचे खड्डे मोठे का आपल्या पोटातला खड्डा मोठा , ह्याचा विचार करत म्हणतात , "गीतेत म्हटल्या प्रमाणे आपण फक्त आपले काम करत रहावे, फलाची अपेक्षा ठेवू नये , पण काय हो, एखादा मेदुवडा तरी ?"

Interesting attractive movements high up in the sky, Sophisticated gestures with sprinkles of pre-planned smiles, and emerging from the innards of a moving trolley, servings and trays of Upma, Vadas and toast. Rajabhau, stewing in the third-last row, wakes up with a start ; Plaintive pains in an abdomen, emptily pining for Misal, and a growing anger against the airhostess. The phone rings (it works in spicejet) "Hi, hope you've had breakfast .... Could have packed you some sabudana khichadi if you had waited...." Rajabhau swallows, leans back , eyes closed; Tightens, first his seat belt, then his lips and teeth, and wonders if the emptiness in his stomach exceeds the emptiness of Mumbai's potholes; Resigned, to his hungry fate, he thinks, "I should really follow the Bhagwad Gita Philosophy; Keep doing your work, without thinking of the fruits of that labor.."; Till a small voice in his mind pipes up and asks, "Not even a small Meduwada ?".....