Sunday, March 11, 2012

High Rises!

Fast forwarding and freezing time, existing and non-existing, approving and disapproving the life around, stand high rises. Watching and looking away when needed, scorning and sighing, sometimes duh-ing, sometimes uh-oh-ing they stand, silent witnesses to strange lives. In the 1Cs, the sort-of-abandoned parents of the guy who recently moved in with his family, try to reason their daughter-in-law’s indifference as ‘mood swings,’ fighting back tears. And in the 2As a clichéd loner-painer pseudo artist, shedding all pretenses, laughs his guts out watching a gross comedy movie. In the 2Ds, a petite girl burns her regret over conveniently forgetting her 85 year old grandpa at native, as she smokes a 74 mm something to 20 mm. Meanwhile in the 3Es an oh-so-sophisticated, tissue silk Kurta - clad beautiful woman in late forties makes a fuss about the scallops of the warm, fluffy dark chocolate cocoa cake being uneven, on her daughter’s birthday. And the frail, shabby looking servant of her, happily counts the possibilities of taking it home for her son who has never seen anything like this before. In the 4Cs a rebel, badass girl hangs around in the living room for another half an hour hoping, maybe, just maybe her father would consider at least talking to her if not cuddling like he does with her sister. At the same time in the 5Bs a nice, hardworking man dreadfully looks at the stacked pile of car, house, education- loan reminders and due bills as his son nags him for a software needed to play FIFA 2011. In the 6Fs an insomniac, trying-too-hard, wannabe copywriter writes this. While in the 7As a happily married chick and another happily married hunk together cheat on their partners for no reason. Perhaps to figure out what’s this so called infidelity? In the 8Bs an MBA guy, after his usual session of weed, listens to ‘lukka chuppi’, all homesick, missing his amma back at home. When in the 8Hs a cute little boy is engrossed in his homework or pretends so, when he overhears the never ending argument of his parents. In the 9Cs a family man feels terrible as he has to take off the next day for a long business trip, leaving his wife and daughter alone and climbs the stairs to terrace to find relief in his daily star gazing. Meantime in the 9Es a couple falling out of love, after trying all things possible from daily visits to beauty salons to incredibly expensive gifts, finally smile at each other. In the 10Ds a middle-aged, childless couple host a Barbie Birthday Party at their place just to watch the innocent buttercups giggling and playing. And in the 11As a divorcee boss opens up to his colleague, ‘I haven’t had sex in a long time. I'm horny!’ while the colleague lets out a carefully-thought out ‘I understand’. In the 11Gs a wife, caught in the negotiables and nonnegotiables of married life thinks why every relationship has to end up in bed. At the same moment in the 12As a married, urbane corporate guy and his 12 years younger colleague sit close half naked, shivering in the cold of the night after exchanging bodily fluids, or to put it nicely, after making love in the balcony, wondering if it was sex or love and look across at the faraway speeding train in a much comfortable silence. Nodding and raising eyebrows at many other zillion lives, sometimes surprised, sometimes taken aback, most of the times numb, never feeling for anything or anyone, as mere spectators to these bizarre lives, stand highrises. Good that they can’t talk!

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