'Hartala in Karnataka'!

October 4 wednesday:It is bandh today ...Big shops, small shops, medium shops...Everything is closed! There is this huge gibberish noise in the playground.....Usually this kind of noise is reserved for Sunday's when kids as well as adults go out and play! ..The streets are empty......Vehicles are flooded everywhere..Few cows are moving slowly and moving their head gently as they closely pass these parked vehicles...Some dogs are smelling out the tires of a car...Why am I finding so many dogs on the street today?....Sad dogs, weak dogs, happy dogs ,barking dogs, sleeping dogs..Maybe I am used of seeing so much of traffic and people that I mainly neglect the presence of these canines!.....Some kids are chasing an old beggar woman and making hullabaloo...These lunatics are running and moving dangerously with their cycles as if they are the kings of the road today.......Rascals!..they should be in school today instead of throwing things at this poor old woman....Reaching to the cross road a man is sitting under the sign post talking on the phone"the bus has not come....I am waiting..It will take long..I don't know what to do?"...In the mean time I remember my hunger pangs also..Thinking where will I get my samosa,fruits,vegetables and milk.?...Do I have to remain hungry today?....... Walking few steps I find a huge crowd(as compared to the empty streets) gathered around bhelpuri-walla, banana walla,peanut walla and off course coconut walla..When all means get closed people go back to the basics, back to nature, back to the jungle where once we used to feed on fruits and other things.....It was also a genuine demand by the auto rickshaw man when he charged excess amount to a couple , without saying a word Romeo and Juliet simply boarded his tuc-tuc and sped off....Luckily I find a shop whose shutter is half open.. I had to kneel down as if i had to go through an underground tunnel...I bought whatever was available (chucking out my gastronomic desires.).This time half liter ordinary milk cost me rupees10 instead of the normal price of rupees seven!.Not wanting to be in the company of street dogs and cows..I went back to my place..It really was a boring and hungry hartal! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- October 5 : Enjoyed a peaceful, soothing, " round table evening tea party" at the kiosk with simple kiosk tea and chips ,while sitting on the steel round chair and our humble meal on the round table.... under the green trees.. besides the white electric bulbs,spreading that white aura of angelic-light in the darkness!