ZIGZAGLU

The doorbell in 36, Chowranghee Lane rang and Hamid ran to the door in anticipation. It was 7 pm and he knew who was there at the door. He has been waiting for his beloved guest! And sure enough, he saw TINTIN standing there smiling from ear to ear. Snowy was just behind him and rambling into the gate was Captain Haddock, scratching his beard. Hamid was a tad disappointed as he was expecting Professor Calculus also to come with them. But there was no time to be sad as he had Tintin with him on his birthday!!! “HAPPY BIRTHDAY HAMID!!” said Tintin chirpily as he shook his hand. “Wow, wow, wow, wow, wow!!” Snowy added his birthday greetings! Captain Haddock was even more excited as he lifted Hamid to greet him loudly in his gruff voice. Hamid tried hard to avoid his scraggly beard as Captain Haddock planted kisses on his cheek. As soon as he was put down, Hamid quickly rubbed his face, trying to wipe out the wet greetings of Haddock. He got hold of Tintin’s hand and pulled him into the house to show him his birthday cake! He already had a birthday party with his friends in the afternoon as he wanted to have Tintin all by himself. The cake was designed like a big LEGO house, bright, very colourful and full of chocolate windows! Tintin looked at the cake and his eyes brightened. “Wow, a LEGO house! Lovely! Hamid, I have brought a small gift for you”, he said, taking out a gift-wrapped box from his bag. Hamid, jumped with joy: “Heyyyy, a gift for me! What is it? Let me see please!” Tintin shook his head and seeing him do that, Snowy did the same and before Haddock could follow suit, Tintin said: “No, wait, I would like to tell you a story first, a real-life story, before you see your gift. Is that okay?” Hamid was in two minds. He wanted to see the gift but at the same time, he was keen to hear the story. He loved stories and here was Tintin, wanting to tell a story to him and that too a REAL one! What else could he want? He will get the gift anyway, he thought.  “Ok! Tell me the story quickly then!” “Great! Here you go!” Said Tintin and started to tell the story! Paresh with cousin. September 6, 2016 Last week, the LEGO Company had organized a big competition. Children from schools were participating and I was invited as the Chief Guest at the competition to give prizes to the winners. A huge room was filled with LEGO blocks with which children could make toys. The competition was to make beautiful houses, dolls, ninjas, space-ships and so on. There were different categories and children could just pick parts and blocks kept in boxes and make whatever they wanted to make. I reached the room when the competition was already underway and children were busy making variants of their favourite characters. The place was very noisy as kids chatted away and ran around to find pieces to make fabulous fantabulous things. I could see children making SIMPSON characters and adding new things to them. Some were busy making trains using LEGO Trains blocks. There was a big crowd in the STARWARS corner with kids making space-ships. Characters from LEGO CHIMA were popular too with kids trying to hunt for a wing to make an eagle or a tail to make a lion. The poisonous tip of the scorpion’s tale was most difficult to find, it being so tiny. One child was crying as he could not find rhino’s horn! Magnificent colourful houses were being made in another corner with chimneys, minarets, porches and windows – big and small. The most active corner was, of course, the LEGO NINJAGO corner. Children were adorning their favourite ninjas with new things. I could see versions of KAI, the master of fire, JAY, the master of lightening, COLE, master of earth and ZANE, the master of ice. Some others were busy making SPINJITZU, the original master! “By the way Hamid, who is your favourite Ninjago character?” Tintin stopped his story and asked. “My favourite is Zane, but please continue your story! We will talk about Ninjas later.” And Tintin continued with the story! As I was moving from one corner to the other, I saw a small kid peeping into the room through a large window. His eyes were bright with excitement. It was obvious that he wanted to come in and touch and feel the LEGO toys, play with them. But there was something that was holding him back. So, the excitement in his eyes was tinged with a bit of sadness. I looked at him and decided to find out more about him, and so went out to meet him. He was shy and a bit scared when he saw me coming towards him. Snowy who was at my heels also scared him a bit, I think. But when I waved to him and Snowy licked his feet, his face lit up with a smile. I noticed that unlike the children inside the room, he was shabbily dressed. His clothes were not torn but were somewhat dirty. His face actually needed some scrubbing with warm water and soap! But his eyes were bright, his smile captivating and his face full of curiosity! He must be around five years old but looked smaller for his age. “What’s your name kid?” I asked. “Paresh”, he said shyly. “I am Tintin and this is my friend Snowy!” I told him as I shook his hand. “Do you go to school?” Paresh shook his head with a bit of sadness. “Why don’t you come into the room and make something?” I asked Paresh. He was not sure how to respond and called his mother who was digging a hole to plant a tree on the other side of the street. She

CHRISTMAS AT HOGWARTS

He who CAN be named, A – the unconquered, finished reading Harry Potter and the Prisoner ofAzkaban and put it down on the small table next to his bed. It has been an exciting read and hehad lived every bit of the story with Harry. He was tired and so were his eyes but he hadalready started to think about the fourth book, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. As heremoved his glasses and rubbed his eyes brimming with sleep, he thought what will V, he whoCANNOT be named, do now? He has been wearing a pair of blank spectacles for some time toget into the Harry Potter character fully!! It was well past his sleep time. Mummy and Papahad tried to make him sleep but had failed. He could not stop as he was reading the mostinteresting part of the book. Toying with his fake spectacles, he looked out of the window. Itwas a moonlit night, made brighter by the clear sky, a rarity at that time of the year. It wasvery cold outside. Gusts of chilly winds made it harder for people to go out of their somewhatwarm houses. The town was cold, and silent. Christmas was approaching and everybody saidthat it will be a COLD Christmas. A started to wonder what Santa will get for him this time. What was his WISH anyway?Another Lego set? Another toy? A flying broomstick? Suddenly he felt as if he was sitting atHogwarts, looking out of the window. And a wish was formed. He had heard that if you wishhard enough, whatever you wish for is supposed to come true. So, he shut his eyes tight andWISHED HARD!! The WISH went out through the window and flew past the neighborhoodhouses, winked at Mother’s School, circled the Qutub Minar, and moved over the flyoversacross the fields, and continued in the North-Westerly direction. It flew over Lahore, up anddown the mountains, skirting Afghanistan, Turkey and several other places. It finally reachedHogwarts where it landed on Albus Dumbledore’s beard. Although from his beard to his ear itwas just a short hop, it did not reach there because it got stuck in the knotty hair. Dumbledorehad not shampooed and combed his beard for quite some time. The WISH struggled hard butcould not extricate itself. Just when it was getting tired, Dumbledore combed and caressed hisbeard with his fingers and the WISH managed to latch on to one of the fingers and from therejumped to his right ear. Dumbledore heard the WISH and smiled. Next day in the night, he who CAN be named was sitting on the potty! Don’t ask mewhat he was doing there!! But he was looking here and there, humming a song. Youwill have to ask him which song as I could not figure out that as well!! While he wasengrossed in his thoughts and song, he heard a tapping noise. He thought it was thestrong wind that was creating this noise and ignored it. But he heard it again,somewhat stronger, and felt that it was coming from his left-hand side. He turnedaround and shrieked loudly with delight! Mummy, who was outside in the kitchen,heard the shriek and panicked. She, of course, did not know the difference betweena delight shriek and a fright shriek!! So, she came rushing into the bathroom as thedoor was not locked and asked: “What happened? Are you hurt?” A just smiled and pointed at the window. She looked up and almost shrieked herself, infright and surprise: “Heyyyy Maaaaa, ye to ulloo hai! It’s an owl”! “It’s not just an owl, its Hedwig. I mean she is Hedwig”, A retorted. “Hedwig who? How do you know its name?” Mummy sort of shrieked again, this timein astonishment!! “Maa, it’s Harry’s owl, Hedwig, can’t you see?” A’s excitement was palpable. “Harry who? Don’t talk in riddles! Besides, I still do not know how to recognize faces ofowls and you know it’s a she?!!” Mum’s voice was still shrill. “Harry Potter Maa!!” A smiled broadly. And Hedwig is a SHE, you know.” “Let’s get herin first. She must be freezing outside”. “But, oops!! I need to finish my task as well!” A quickly did the needful and looked expectantly as Mummy opened the bathroomwindow. Hedwig came in quietly and sat on the flush tank. One could see a lettertied to her left leg. A was about to untie the letter when Mummy said: “You wish to do everything in here! Let us get out of the bathroom first!” A saw logic in that statement of Mummy. For sure, such important letters should notbe read inside the loo!! So, curbing his excitement and somewhat reluctantly hewalked out of the bathroom, followed by Mummy and of course, Hedwig, flutteringher wings casually. Hedwig behaved as if she was completely at home andcomfortably sat on top of the fish tank. Mummy was wondering if Hedwig can begiven something to eat. “But where will she get rodents, squirrels or lemmings from?”she mused. Oblivious of Mum’s ‘motherly’ thoughts which he could guess given herexperience with peacocks whom she fed regularly, A focused on his main task. Hegently untied the string from Hedwig’s leg and took the letter out of the envelope. Ashe read the letter, his smile kept broadening till it reached ‘smile dimensions’ beyondhis ears. That is, it was much more than the one that spreads from ‘ear to ear’! Andwhy not? HIS WISH WAS GRANTED! He read the letter again and again and again, andMummy stood there gazing at his bright face, eyes sparkling with excitement and areally wide smile that accentuated the charm of the gaping hole between his twofront teeth! Yes, he had lost them recently. “What is it Bhai Sahab?” She asked. A was too excited to speak so he simply handed over the letter to her. And she read: Palace Theatre , Shaftesbury Avenue, London, June 25, 2022 HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY December 15, 2016 To, He who CAN be named – The Unconquered

A Village Down Under

Giva heaved a sigh of relief when he saw Bira enter the train. Pushpak Express had just leftthe Kurla station and was picking up speed. Despite being somewhat breathless, Bira was allsmiles at his triumphant entry into the moving train as he balanced a packet of vada-pavwrapped in a piece of newspaper and two small plastic cups of steaming tea. He handedover a cup of tea and the packet to Giva and sat down next to him. Giva put down his cup oftea on the seat, opened the packet and gave Bira a vada-pav and kept one for himself. Birahad caught his breath by now. He took a bite and a sip from his cup and looked around thecompartment. The train was not very crowded. He remembered the train ride during thefirst Covid lock-down when there was no place to even stand, leave alone having a place tosit and enjoy some snack and a cup of tea. He looked at Giva and asked: “Remember how we travelled when we went home last time”? “Of course, how can I forget? Akha Mumbai was on the train. I was standing for 10 hourswithout water, food or a loo break! But we were lucky to get the train, so many of ourfriends had to walk!” The two friends had lost their jobs in the first round of Covid and had taken the arduousjourney back home. They had decided to come back to Mumbai after the conditionsimproved but regular work was still not easily available. The looming threat of the repeat ofthe earlier situation and lack of adequate work had convinced them that going back homebefore the conditions worsen was a good idea although there was no work at home either.But staying in Mumbai was expensive. The journey was uneventful and a couple of bus rides after getting down from the train inBhopal, brought the two friends to the place which they now called ‘home’. Giva and Birabelonged to a village which got submerged when a dam was built across the river in theirvicinity. The villagers were displaced and ‘resettled’ in a set of shanties, officially recorded asa resettlement colony. While the inhabitants of some other submerged villages hadapparently got a better deal in terms of the conditions of resettlement, people of Bira andGiva’s village were not so lucky. Their colony was clumsily put together on a small hill nearthe river. Like people in an over-crowded bus, the tiny temporary houses were falling overeach other. Open bricks, tin, asbestos and all other materials that can conceivably be usedfor construction were on display. From a distance the whole area looked like a very largeabstract art installation. But both the art and abstraction vanished as one got closer.Unplanned, narrow kuchha lanes between houses put the worst urban slum to shame.Humans competed with all types of four-legged animals for the use of these lanes.Consequently, a variety of fluids and semi-solids were always flowing here resulting in aconfounding cacophony of unusual smells that could confuse even Jean-Baptiste Grenouille!The best time to experience the diversity of these smells and test the sensitivity of our bodypart, called the nose, was the rainy season. The market for incense sticks was vibrantthrough the year in this colony. Villagers, used to live in open spaces before they were resettled, felt suffocated in their newenvironment. Every time Giva and Bira came to this new home from Mumbai, they wanted torun away from the settlement and the river-front down the hill was their favourite spot tofind refuge. It was a sanctuary for them and a place to while away their time. There was nowork available and sitting at home was simply not possible. So, before they split to go to theirrespective shanties, they agreed to meet at the river-front in the evening. As Giva wound his way down to the river-front in the evening, he saw Bira sitting in theirfavourite spot – a rock jutting into the river. Because of the dam, the river seemed like avery large pond. They often sat silently on the river bank looking around or just doingnothing. Their intermittent talks meandered around whatever drifted into their thoughts.Anything that came to their minds became a source of brief sporadic conversations. Theyhad known each other since childhood and were quite comfortable with each other’ssilences. They knew that staying with one’s thoughts was perfectly fine. So, most times, theyjust sat and enjoyed the surroundings which were so different from what they experiencedin Mumbai. Sun surging down the green hills, the red hot ball shining through thick trees onthe hills, sound of birds and the vast expanse of water constantly talking to them!Somehow, the sea in Mumbai did not talk to them like this although they were not unawareof its beauty. Giva nodded at Bira as he sat down next to him on the rock. Like his friend, Bira removed hischappals and lowered his feet into water. A shiver ran down his body and he felt relaxed. Thetensions of Mumbai, the long travel, the unsavoury smells of the colony and of uncertaintiesof life slowly flowed out of his being. The relief he felt was palpable. The feeling of being ‘athome’ surprised him as the place was nothing close to what was embedded in his mind ashome. If he was a poet, he would have described it as a soul cleansing moment. He looked atGiva and smiled as he knew that his friend was feeling the same sensation. They sat therewithout saying a word and saw the sunset, the hills and the trees in all their grandeur. Thesunset was as beautiful as ever, the hills as green and the water as cool. Author’s maternal village, Sirsa near Nawab Ganj, Unnao, Uttar Pradesh, India. February 9,  2023 It was getting dark and they knew it’s time to go home. Bira said: “I asked around. There is nowork available in the vicinity.” “Yes, I also heard that!” Giva replied. “But Jita said that some construction work may startdown the river next week.