And Then There Were Many

Sorry folks if the title bears close resemblance to Agatha Christie’s famous novel “And Then There Were None”, widely considered her masterpiece, and described by her as the most difficult of her books.  Bollywood of course lost no time to adapt it and make Gumnaam. There, a select few pre-identified people from different walks of life were hand-picked as ‘winners’ for a reason, and taken on a pleasure trip only to redirect the flight to an deserted island where each was eliminated one by one, until…

Here the story is on a different premise - a happy one, all the way. Raghu, our popular resident, declared this afternoon through Hike the Cedar/Ebony park open to children  - of all ages. Word spread like wild fire, and children in large numbers thronged the place on the very first evening, the inclement weather notwithstanding. 

The park was very well illuminated. Children were in their merry-making best in ladder and slide, seesaw, and what have you. It wore a carnival and festive look.  If on the first day it was so much fun, imagine the situation when word gets around and all the tiny tots gather and clamour for their turn. That aside, some grownups too have made no secret of their desire to revive their childhood memory in this play area all over again, if only the specifications of the equipment would carry the King Kong, Dara Singh weight.

The parents, mostly the young mothers, were in attendance. From a cursory glance, they can be classified into five. A few  enjoyed watching the feat of their kids; some young mothers gathered in groups for an informal chat, a few kept a watchful eye on their offspring’s acrobatics for any mishap, yet others hid behind to be unseen so that the child played with gay abandon. Some easy-going mothers chose to catch with pending phone calls as the child played around. 

A solitary grandma was seen looking at her watch rather too often, all eager to make the first, second and final call to her grandchild to take him/her home. While waiting, one could see her braving the cold weather with all warm clothes.

The Oak garden, the evening rendezvous for the children until this evening, suddenly wore a deserted and God-forsaken look, though there was no laxity in illumination. But she is not one to give up so easily and get dejected. She is biding for her time when children, unable to get turn in the Cedar/Ebony park - more so when these towers get occupied - will fall back to her. She will accept them with open arms as a mother with unremitting love would the return of her prodigal son.

Against this backdrop, if only SFV-ians are rid of the stink, whether generated from within or outside, the complex will be Swarg Se Sundar. Would you agree? No? Who cares.

V V Sundaram

Maple 3195 

(www:vvsundaram.blogspot.in)