Meher Marfatia: Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan's bell sings the blues

Twokm troubleMy metal body aches Scrunched tight by that sudden pedal brake pressed swerving me to the kerb the cop waved us towards I lie impounded a lightweight TVS scooter meeting the same fate as posh SUVs How random rules surprise unsuspecting citizens If venturing beyond a twokm neighbourhood radius must be banned illogical to think this slows the uptick of cases why without warning But then the lockdown itself was clamped at four hours noticeMy owner was in the riders seat wife in the side car Both masked helmeted But with more than the stipulated distance from their cramped Parel kholi to the promenade they wanted to stroll A maalish wali the highcontact profession has left her more hopelessly jobless than him a chauffeur whose saabs spend lockdown months in their Alibaug villaFilmi numbers blaring from a passing taxi reach my ears Albelas Shola jo bhadke dil mera dhadke makes me homesick forthe compound parking spot in the chawl where singing star Bhagwan Dada lived his last years The mill mazdoors son rose to occupy a Juhu bungalow with seven cars before another reversal of fate hit Sighing sorry sore I long to wheel homeThird bell bluesThe silence is deafening I wonder will I ever ring again The backstage bell at the 1938built Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan is a great thing to be My tring triggers green room jitters bitten nails fervent prayers Besides I signal the happy hush audiences fall into after much anticipatory chatter between mouthfuls of garma garam batata vadasMine is a cheerful evolution Urdu theatre lent colourful flourishes to the tradition of three bells sounding briefly apart The third struck with a dramatic gunshot thundering through moments the dropcurtain painted with grand mythological scenes went up The chorus girls cue to burst into Welcome or titular theme songs to harmonium tunes and drum beats Music in place special patrons gifted bouquets and portraits of deities garlanded the action commencedUntil four months ago I pealed to a planned schedule Not a chance with live shows on freeze Without the performing arts streamed for free internationally lockdown could turn a lot lonelier Yet the actors and technicians so generously sharing their craft online are stuck sans workSeventy years after actorproducer Burjor Patel introduced playwright Adi Marzban to the Munshis Bhavans founders it may be the first evening this hall wont celebrate Parsi New Year with a comedy in a couple of weeks Not to risk rust I practise clanging softly to myselfFan momentsWhirring within a grill cage Shramik Special train fans have seen terrible things The journey for travellers exiting to other states proved pathetic Heartbreaking how homeless hungry migrants desperately divided two rotis to fill ten starved tummies many of them only babies Piled in numbers undoing any cordon sanitaire code they were at least luckier than those walking endless milesCreaking away I watched women wail theyd drop dead from heatstroke before their destination village To save the day I blew hard even if my blades threw around dry AprilMay air The rail run back was a bit kinder with employers paying ticket fares The guys who packed them off without sustaining salaries now need help in their offices reopening What choice but to be Bombaybound once more Where they sought refuge held bleaker prospectsChanging seasons cause typical mishaps Some batchmates we were assembled in the same factory were forced to make themselves scarce in the Mahalaxmi Express rescue operation Tracks were waterlogged 90 km from the city Evacuating a thousand passengers the Disaster Response Force and Navy switched off fans to avoid short circuitingFans and open windows trump air conditioners today Folks fear breathing in a spread of virus droplets lingering in closed rooms Seems like old timesLocal vocalA gate is about entries and exits I see these galore From basti to building hutment to highrise COVID catches up karmically with the jet setmdashits primary carriers in the first place flying into the city from infected shores but still blame the working classThe pandemic returns the small stuff to daily life The longueurs of lockdown bring realignments The kirana shop versus mall faceoff scores nicely encouraging for the small guys Fancy stores invite customers that retailers cannot pull in Scary Who knows where the super spreader might hide Better dial the old reliable grocer delivering to gates of colonies full of fresh chefsPeople seem flat bored ODing on Google trends egging everyone to whip up dalgona coffee and bake gourmet breads Theyve clogged social media with these coveted images Till the poor pao wala hoping for regular orders of humble crunchy gutli finally left for his native Unnao Back to basics hes back in businessSmall screen skewThe Zoom boom convinces me that Ill crash soon Open 24x7 online sessions defy global time zones a laptop must be a familys most overused commodity Man woman and child learn earn almost burn on my screen which was earlier reserved just for their entertainment The new normal does benefit fortunate opticians coping with the demand for reading glasses on the youngest eyesmdashsquint strained redstressedNot a dot of privacy where I am the 1 BHK space where a bright boy prepares as a lawyer It is jammed with three generations Figures keep floating into the frame within view of his crispcollared colleagues I flicker to distract from the grandmother wandering close Her Mahabharata TV episode done she asked if lunch would be mooli or methi parathas OuchMedallion musingsMatch the following ndashAkbar Tagore JN Tata da Vinci Pasteur MichelangeloArt Science Enquiry Wealth Kindness GloryA Read in reverse ndashAkbar goes with glory Tagore kindness Tata wealth da Vinci enquiry Pasteur science Michelangelo artLeave you to guess whichmedallion I am from 18 such representing human virtues carved in dark sheesham on three teak doors of the St Xaviers College chapel Thanks to the Eurocentrism of World War II at the start of which this IndoGothic structure was designed its entrance also includes power symbolised by King George VI and leadership by General FrancoFrom Porbunder limestone pinnacles and white Ramnagar stone windows the chapel shone sunbeams on kids retreating here for prayer study romance Not quite in that order for canoodling couples who thought The Woods behind the canteen rather public Uncertainty looms large too the fatigue of flipflopsmdashwillwont exams be conducted I miss collegians in the deserted quadrangle Their wishful dreaming football game screaming campus chatter Malhar mattershellip all cancelled kaput on indefinite holdAs parishes across town offer online mass I gather other shrines are as firmly shut Politicians protest this precaution of course Sensibly there are to be no dahi handi pyramids no Ganesh processions And nationwide Diwali already happened when our venerable PM declared we light up collectively to scorch the virusTime to reveal why the world needs me most Im the Joy medallion paired with humourist GK Chesterton English Lit pupils laugh not a little at hiswitty insightsOf coasts and boastsI wrench my hooked beak up sharply at the sight While the city sticks to semi slumber mode this monster has grown by huge leaps With what is literally my eagle eye I blink in disbelief at the indecent haste from an eyrie atop the sprawling property of Lincoln House on the Breach Candy strip The Coastal Roads engineering excesses have surged fast during curfew The speed and stealth with which lorries replace expanses of water with rock is incredibleBird of prey I am fierce raptor with talons But bigger predatory beasts lurk Real estate sharks drooling at the prospect of development they claim will beautify the Arabian Sea front My nest corners the 50000square feet heritage property Wankaner rulers of central Gujarat called their royal regret selling to the US Consulate This marauder road the entire city is surely going to rueOverarching interestIn the middle of Corona dread comes the monsoon splattering its customary clutch of viruses But rain clears grime that obscures my lettering Raised in public appreciation by men of valour Im the arch over the RTO regional transport office at Tardeo Because it originally housed barracks and horse stables for the Governors bodyguards the alley outside was called Bodyguard Lane Queueing for a driving licence you read my plaque inscription To commemorate the unfailing interest in their welfare which resulted in the erection of these lines by his Excellency Sir George Lloyd Governor of Bombay this tablet was erected by officers and men of his bodyguard as a token of gratitude 1st December 1921Not that anyone cares A far cry from the gaze hatted ladies alighting at the club next door fixed on me a century agomdashelegant members of The Purdah Pavilion that Lady Willingdon presented the Willingdon Sports Club for Christmas 1918 Stopping to stand and stare is a quality lockdown supposedly revives Has itAuthorpublisher Meher Marfatia writes fortnightly on everything that makes her love Mumbai and adore Bombay You can reach her at mehermarfatiamiddaycomwwwmeher marfatiacomCatch up on all the latest Mumbai news crime news current affairs and a complete guide from food to things to do and events across Mumbai Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates MidDay is now on Telegram Click here to join our channel middayinfomedialtd and stay updated with the latest newsltp