Friday, October 21, 2005

Zara Hatke Zara Bachke

I've lived in this city all my life and have seen it grow from a pleasant little city to a sprawling metropolis that is truly a melting pot. There was a time when at least 90% of the city consisted only of south Indians but now it's no longer so. But that's not the point. I may post at some time or the other about how the number of people have changed the nature and attitude of my city, but not now.

This post is dedicated to the live and let live attitude in my city. Several years ago, when girls first began smoking, no shopkeeper would look shocked if a girl asked him for a cigarette no matter how he actually felt. They were always gracious and polite and if disapproving, silently so. The trend continues. I wanted to buy a bottle of wine from a local wine shop. I'd seen some bottles of imported wine in their window some months ago so went back and enquired. The populous was amazed and anxious to see this curiousity but the shopkeeper acted as though women regularly dropped into his shop to buy alcohol.

In hindsight, I should have known better. The bottle was standing upright in a window. Direct sunlight and no contact with the cork. The wine was oxidised but not too bad. And long live the urban shopkeeper! :)

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