One Monsoon, Two Teas....

My blogger friend, and expert source on places of interest around Pune, Harekrishnaji, has been enjoying driving around the countryside west of Pune, and stopping at unusual places, to photograph nature, and sometimes, some other interesting folks, who strangely, end up enjoying the same things he does ! In a different way.

That makes you think .... and write verse....!

First thought of in Marathi, and then composed in English...


(photo by Harekrishnaji)
थंडगार वातानुकुलीत गाडीत
गियर बदलत
पावसाळी खड्यातून
बाहेर पडून
आसम्न्तातले धुके बघत
हिरवाइत बुडून
मैलोमइल हिंडून
ते चहाच्या शोधात असतात .....
आणि
रोजच
वातानुकुलीत डोंगरातून
लाल बस ने शाळेतून घरी येउन
एका पक्क्या घरामागे
म्हशीची धार काढून
टप टप गळणार्या झोपडीत
चुलीशी बसलेल्या आपल्या आईला
नेउन देउन
सगळ्यान बरोबर चहाची वाट बघणारी
हि दर्वाज्यातील चंद्रमुखी .....



Cool 21 degrees
draughts
wafting through the innards,
he changes gears
to navigate
through the
monsoon
potholed
mountain roads........

Dumbstruck
in a mist,
and overcome by the green,
they search for a place to stop
for a cuppa....

And
somewhere,
everyday,
she travels
back
from her distant school
in a red state bus,
breathing deeply
of the airconditioned mountains;

As she
now rushes,
to the side of her cottage
behind the main house
to milk the buffalo,
and deliver it
to her mother.

In the mud stove
of
a leaking kitchen,
a tea is happening
for the family,
and she
Chandramukhi,****
waits,
her turn,
smiling
at the door.

****Chandramukhi : a pretty woman with a face like that of the moon....