A Very Indian Day: Tuesday, August 31, 2010

My very Indian day started around 10:30 p.m. on Monday night during the early stages of the packing process with clothing and items strewn all across the floor, bed and desk. The power was cut and all the lights went out. I waited for a few moments in pitch black for the generator to be switched on but it appeared that the night guards were either asleep or the gen does not get turned on after a certain time of day. I looked out the window and except for the small two-story house with the crying baby in front of my building the street was black and quiet. I had just handled my headlamp and set it on the top shelf of my cabinet. I reached up, careful to not knock over any computer equipment. I felt the elastic band with my fingertips, lifted the lamp, placed it on my head and turned it on. I laughed at my reflection: a miner in pajamas. I continued to pack for a while then crawled under the mosquito net to read. At midnight the power still had not been restored so I climbed out of bed and double-checked to see that the light-switches were in the off position so I would not be startled when the power came back on. The night felt a little eerie, probably because it was so quiet except for the low hum of the generator next door.

Around 8 this morning the doorbell rang. I peered through the peephole in the door but either the glass needs to be cleaned or the hall is too dark- I am never able to tell who is waiting there. I was still in my pajamas but could tell it was a westerner so I opened the door. It was Nick from Greece who had called last night as I met with Mr. Rosenthal to arrange shipment for a small package. The phone only ever rings here when there is company and only one tenant to answer the phone. Nick was looking for a room to rent, I directed him to come back around noon when Kathy would be around. I was getting ready for class when the bell rang again – I thought it was probably him in such a short time interval- but I was unable to get to the door.

After morning practice, Kathy and I patiently waited the delivery of our tiffin lunch. When it was clear that Kaliyani was more than thirty minutes late, we called her cell phone. Her husband answered and explained that she was sick in bed with a high fever. Kathy had a papaya for lunch but I was in the mood for something hot due to all the rain so I ventured over to Ambience. Kathy needed a few odds and ends and was not feeling well so I offered to pick them up. Post-lunch it was raining heavily so instead of walking over to the vegetable market I headed back towards my place and went to Pune Central (hopefully the last time!) in search of lemons, bananas and onions. I also had an ulterior motive: I was in search of an Indian Cricket jersey for a five-year-old. The trip to Pune Central was not as painful as usual except for when I asked a clerk about the cricket jersey he kept pulling out a generic jersey or directed me to a different floor where the sporting goods were located. I told him I needed it for a child and he offered “Small, small,” as a solution. I held my hand to my mid-thigh to indicate the height of my nephew and replied: small is too big. He offered another solution but I did not understand so I thanked him and headed home.

As I rode down the escalator for the last time I looked out the large glass windows that are the front of the building. On a clear day you can see the country-side and plateaus in the distance. Today I could only see the other side of the street – a vast grey blanket covered the sky.

It continued to rain heavily until about 4 o’clock in the afternoon – for a total of 50 hours of continuous rain. Later in the evening I headed over to the Institute for my last class with Prashant. I got a little teary-eyed in the stairwell as I waited for the medical class to let out. How quickly this month came to an end. I questioned whether a two-month stay would have been better, like last time. You can never really know. Each choice has its costs and its benefits.