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2010/11/04

Light Flies and Bees On the Road and One madman

The people downstairs have got laser lights from Bangalore and instead of doing just the usual fairy light loops on the verandah have also looped in the strands of laser fairy lights . Once lit they hover over the road in a circumference of about 6 feet in a web of green, red ,blue and chrome dots circling constantly like a swarm of bees or mosquitoes in the gathering gloom just before it gets dark.
As magical as it is to the little boy who lives downstairs , it is even more so to Pagla Kanai , one of the triumvirate of mentally ill vagrants who people the area , the others being Bob Marley II and Khyapa .He approaches the lights warily and swats at them with his hand and when they swarm over his hand he tries to grasp them. Then he fishes out a piece of paper from his sack and offers it to the lights , holding it gingerly and then dropping it on the road ; next he fishes out a discarded cigarette packet and drops in under the lights ,squatting and watching spellbound as the little dots keep circling . Then he twitches , a long involuntary shudder convulses his body and he jumps back a few paces brushing his hand over his twitching face and muttering "saala maachhi " , which roughly translated in Bengali is "bloody flies" .
Quite a revelation . If not flies , then coloured mosquitoes in a swarm on the road instead of over one's head or even bees . Disarming , accurate and intuitive , is Pagla Kanai . I shudder to think how tormented he must have been ,his head swarming with buzzing insects all night .

11 comments:

Sue said...

It sounds magical. I don't blame him.

dipali said...

Imagine them going round and round in your head:( Poor chap.

Anonymous said...

What would Bob Marley II say...or better yet Pagla Kanai say's to Bob "Bob tui machi marlee"..:D..

radha said...

Fancy. But surely cannot beat the effect of the diya.

Thinking Cramps said...

I loved this little observation piece of yours. It's the same as childlike wonder, minus the gaalis. He must be so puzzled. But there was something so tender about him trying to offer something to the lights.

Unknown said...

Absolutely Sue - it was magical
Dipali- That's what we thought .AG saw the whole thing
BratP - Hmm no they dont converse with each other
Radha - true - there's something so mystical about oil,a wick and a tiny earthen lamp
Onedia- thank you . I think those lights were Chinese
TC - Thanks . The story was AG's.I only recounted it .If you could see the man .He's still shaking his head to free them of buzz beings .And yes I believe he was making the offerings with tender reverence .

TC said...

oooo lake gartenssssssssss.... How I miss. Accha why have you stopped writing your food blog? Plis to update so that I can take recipes off it and cook!!! Nothing like some good bangali cooking!!! :) Hope you are keeping well. My love to all of you.

BongMom said...

Happy New year Mallika di. header ta ki Victoria ?

Anonymous said...

Hi there, Mallika, How you been? IndiBlogger is coming back to Kolkata, our favorite city after very long time. Its been 2 years since IndiBloggers last meet. We hope to catch up again at the meet!Did you sign up for Kolkata IndiBlogger Meet If you haven't already, do sign up today, Only 200 seats available. Entry is free with loads of fun. Cheers,
Vineet
IndiBlogger Team

Anonymous said...

hey, aar likhchhona keno?

Hip Grandma said...

The poor man must be at his wit's end not knowing how to react.