Travelling
to work has become more interesting for me. I negotiate the 45 minute run
looking out for my ‘friends’ on the way. These are humans I have never met, nor
have even been invited into my hatchback. But they qualify to be my ‘friends’
as I see them every day at the same spot – though they hardly know I am aware
of their presence.
I
usually leave Porvorim at 7.15 a.m.
Breathing in the fresh whiff of the early morning air I set out
intoxicated by the promise of a new day.
7.21 a.m. My first
friends are a duo of a mother and daughter who stand before the Porvorim police
station. They have a striking resemblance to each other. No doubt they are
waiting for the school bus. I see them and drive on.
7.22 a.m. Before I
climb onto the Mandovi bridge I see ‘Anthony.’ I have christened him so as he
reminds me of a friend. Anthony does his neck exercises on the pavement. He seems to view the world curiously. He
himself looks a bit tardy, still at his exercises when people are up and ready
for work and school.
I
cross the Mandovi bridge and see the spill of people and vehicles trying to get
their way across the busy junction. My
next friend is a little distance away. As I cross the Ponda circle with Merces on my left I cruise on to Niyaz restaurant. Soon after the traffic lights I
see him.
7.29 a.m. I call him
Tom Sawyer. In his checked school shirt he displays a bravado that many could
aspire to. His gait, his demeanour oozes confidence. Sometimes I look to him for inspiration. He
will be a winner in the world. Not for him the small talk to pass time. He
usually stands alone, and sometimes even turns his back to the road.
7.31 a.m. Just before
I ascend the Bambolim slope at the bus stand, I see uncle reading a newspaper.
Unfazed by the melee of buses, cars and bikes striving to get ahead of the signal
he takes in the news with a nonchalance that merits admiration.
7.40 a.m. Having
crossed the Bambolim cross I eagerly look for the three government school
children walking sedately down the slope to Shiridao. The elder girl chaperones the two younger boys
very caringly.
7.46 a.m. The moment the car gets off the Zuari bridge
after the temple on the left you see a working woman in a salwar-kameez fiddling with her phone.
She is waiting for her bus.
7.49 a.m. After the
Cortalim roundabout, as you drive slowly
over the crater-filled road to the left
a young girl in a white shirt
will be walking towards the bus stop listening to music on her ipod. She is a digital native and quite oblivious to the havoc around her owing to the road development.
7.55 a.m. Just one
friend remains. The crossing of the Kadamba bus bound for Malvan.
I
reach my destination at Nuvem around 8 a.m. Looking out for these ‘friends’
along the way keeps me alert and joyful. It makes the 33.3 km. ride, a breeze.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------Published in Gomantak Times Weekender, St. Inez, Goa on Sunday, 19 August 2018. Photo of the Mandovi bridge on NH 66, Goa. Courtesy goanphotos(dot)com
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