Saturday, September 6, 2008

Bessie !

This morning saw me emerge from my kalaripayattu classes alongside Besant Nagar beach. Kalari has this magical effect of making me feel like a freshly squeezed lemon(the rind i.e)just after it’s over, but full of vim later on. Anyways at that time I wobbled lemon-like over to my bike.

So far, so ho-hum. But today was different. I beheld perhaps why Bessie is so famous with all us sambar-slurpers. A most beautiful spectacle unfolded in front of me. Huge rain clouds were heading towards the sea, sending the sundry walkers scurrying to avoid the incoming downpour. A gang of school kids were kicking away at a football taking care to avoid the few drunks sleeping off last night’s booze party. All this in an atmosphere of utmost peace, with no stud boys on noisy SUVs. I was hooked. I strode up to the promenade and got a seat.

The world may have done six merry-go-rounds of the sun since I last lashed out on the field, but it appears that football talk remains the same. I named the teams Da and Oatha(sorry,honest reporting here…) dividing the group based on who said more of which word. Cries like “Man on you!!!” (We are all boys when we say that, and never play the game when we become men…) along with “Oatha, pass the ball da” (which team dude?) got me super excited. Soon, with a few quick goals along the way both exhausted teams had the good sense to stop at 5-5. A group of fisherwomen strode briskly past me, with those huge loads on their heads screaming their heads off at their kids telling them to get home now. Just then behind me, I spied a chappie with a Tantra T-shirt and smart gym clothes. It looked like he was chucking change from both pockets before it hit me that this was his idea of a workout. Out of nowhere trundled a tramp with his pet monkey asking for some money. Kanjoos me loosened the purse strings. Must have been the weather.

In all this the above mentioned rain clouds revved up the motor and let loose thunder and a couple of sparks. Bessie quickly got the message and started to wind down. I turned to retreat and found that Tantra-man was doing something that looked like Sridevi’s dance moves from “Nagina”. Perhaps he was stretching his triceps. Suppressing a chortle I gunned the motor and sped away leaving these folks behind. As I passed one of the chic cafés lined up on the beachfront, I spied a couple at a table, with the guy cooing in the PYT’s ear as she tried to navigate the menu.

Bessie’s morning shift had just begun :)

2 comments:

Lavanya said...

I turned to retreat and found that Tantra-man was doing something that looked like Sridevi’s dance moves from “Nagina”.
LOL! Very nice precis of the haps and mishaps at Bessie!

Princess Fiona said...

ncie post!!! amen to bessie :)