the city reflected.

monsoon transformations:

this cobbler at the junction of sv road and station road in kandivali sets up another shop. alongside soles hang umbrella handles of all shapes, sizes and colour. he sits outside his tarpaulin covered shoe repair space to repair umbrellas.

stitching fabric
correcting bent spokes
fixing buttons and broken handles
correcting malfunctions

the rains make him more than just a cobbler.

The earth calls out to the sky,
the sun beating down upon her.
She cries as water abandons her flesh through cracks in her skin.
The sky responds,
a storm gathers over her dusty body.
The clear blue you cannot see,
it is blocked by layers of blue and gray.
The clouds bleed drops, they fall.
Little drops of moisture,
they bear the image of the world they meet.
An army they descend on her skin
bringing relief from the heat.
Dust rises
her fragrance fills the air.
The sun tempted
peers from behind a cloud.
There were two rainbows in the sky that day.

Yesterday, during an auto journey I came across two young boys yelling from the safety of their car. When they managed to catch the auto driver's attention, they told him, "Bhaiyya, tyre ghoom raha hai!"
I smiled. It reminded me of those long drives to Khandala during the monsoon long before there was the Expressway when four brothers did the same and died laughing! Their victims were mostly bicycle riders as they were very easily distracted.
I wanted to tell them, "Saalo se chali aa rahee hai!"
Somethings never get old.