Part I:

It had been a long day. The demands it made on me, every hour, till it was almost midnight. A drive back through the yellow streets and the cold winter wind on my face. Lost in thoughts, I notice the two men by the roadside, their faces aglow from the fire they lit from dried twigs, cardboard and newsprint. Conversation is the only companion to drive away the cold. The driver aks me if Aby's baby is getting married to Ash. I tell him probably not. He is the only driver who doesn't drink. Or so it seems. I make a mental note of giving him a good tip if he comes during the final days of the project.

A short flight of four steps and I reached the door. The single steel key is pretty big. Baba always adivised me to tie it to a keychain. Helps prevent losing it, he said. Not this one, its too big to lose. The familiar sound of it fitting into the keyhole, but it wouldnt turn. I remember it takes only two turns to open. The break in the wall where the latch falls in has crumbled at the edges and the third turn is quite unnecessary. But it wouldnt turn. I should try the doorbell. Footsteps on the inside and then the latch fell back. The one without the lock, lower down.

Umm....Its me.
Oh...Do you have the key?
Yeah, but the door was latched from the inside, so I couldnt use it.
Ok, but you will need to close it now.
I'll do it, you go on ahead.

I followed her upstairs. Everyone is sleeping.

Uh, do you want me to fix up something to eat? Dinner?
Oh no, I had it before I came. So its ok.
Ok

Part II:

The human mind is quite fickle. Within the space of a few hours, perspectives take a complete 360 degree turn. Last night watching two people pull each others leg while they ate sambar-chawal with their fingers instead of a fork spoon, I pondered the words 'The more you earn, the more thou shalt be unhappy.' Joy does not measure your bank balance before it decides to plant a smile on your face. It does not look at whether you have the latest cellphone twirling on your hand before it decides to give you a childish pleasure in chewing sweet betel leaf 'paan' and make your tongue go red. Friendship does not wait to give you the privacy of talking to your wife at the end of a long day, but it sure makes the distance more bearable. One of the most calming moments, when your minds in in strife, is watching a man eat his meal after he has well deserved it. Much better than watching spoilt brats, who had all the opportunities in the world, to waste their evenings getting drunk and misbehaving with people they call friends. Or people, who consider it more important to drive to work in a four-wheeler than try and be decent to your colleague. Or than those, who prefer living in a cubbyhole that stinks, because of the garbage that you threw out your window on the street outside,while your address reads the alphabets 'GK'. And then a thought crosses my mind. Who the hell am I to judge that. I like to party. I like the good things in life. Getting too judgemental has always been a worry.

And then I visit IHC. I suppose a city is defined by the buildings it creates, the environs it provides. And I think Delhi would still qualify as the third best.

Part III:

Like a comforting skin
This place
satin black
and the blues

Nurture it with touch
A caress now and then
Till it assumes
an identity of its own

It stares at me
When I come back
Knows all my secrets

But then
they are only half baked thoughts
Mute as it is

there is a silent smile
mocking me
Break me apart
it says

One day,
very soon
You see

I like it
Too much
to let it stay

________________________

'...'
- Mogadishu Blues
Hans Zimmer
OST Black Hawk Down