Pea Pod - A taste of everyday life

Amitabh Bachchan. Need I say more? The name itself says everything about the man. More than a living legend, he is an iconic figure respected and known worldwide. Just read something about him recently and was reminded of one incident that took place a few years back. My friends were waiting for me at the movie theatre that was 8km from where I lived which was close the where Amitabh Bachchan's bungalow is. It was late evening and there were no rickshaws available near my building. I walked down the road and still couldn't get one. I walked all the way till Amitabh's house and what luck - a rickshaw stopped right there and two boys and a girl got off staring at the superstar's house in front - jaw dropped and eyes full of awe while they paid off the rickshaw. "Dekho, yahin rehta hai Amitabh. Ek aur bungalow bhi hai aage lekin woh abhi yahin rehta hai," the rickshaw driver informed them. ("Look, this is where he lives. He's got one more house ahead

With a heavy downpour last evening, some school moms had started talking about the weather bureau's prediction that it would rain all night through. Some had even started praying the school declares a holiday today. But you know how our weather bureau is, right? They never could predict the 26/7 deluge, how can they predict this? So the school was on. One mother voiced her angst saying,"Where have the good old bad weather holidays gone?" My answer to this was - "They are under the El Nino effect!"

At last the train pulled in at Vile Parle station and for the first time in two years I opened the door to exit. Vile Parle looked oblivious to what had happened just a few hours back in the city. I climbed down the staircase to the west and started walking towards home. Everything around was as normal as could be. I was at peace at last. The train ride had been full of fear, apprehensions and doubt. Will we reach home safely? Will we get hit by a mob? Will we be subject to a stampede? Why didn't I listen to my grandfather in the morning? He had advised me not to go to college. But I did, only to be sent back home.  Four of us walked towards the Grant Road station with many other students and hundreds of strangers. No buses, no cabs. We had to walk. Somehow, we managed to get into a crowded Borivali local and women were shouting, asking us to shut the door to the compartment. Mumbai was in a frenzy. Our train was being pelted with stones at some stations and there was roari