Passerby

As usual the early morning started, I kept waiting for him, there comes his car, and he got down with his basket of grains for pigeon. Without missing a day in his life, early in the morning, he would put grains in the triangular footpath in the crossing. And day long, pigeons would fly and eat them, go back and again come back, so the life for me starts looking at this event.

Have been witnessing thousands of passerby, College students, parents with their children, old couples, who remember their older time in the olden days cafe, which are slowly being replaced by modern day restaurants, but yet it the oldness of this place is that they are fond of.There are some passerby who are very special for me.

I remember it was three years back that a young girl and a guy, who looked like college students came walking around the place. The girl was eating ice cream, and constantly talking. The guy was expressionless, yet listening to her, or maybe she thought he heard her. And all of a sudden she stopped in that cross by where pigeons were there, she handed the ice cream to the guy and ran in between , with full speed, flying away the pigeons, she didn’t hurt them , but was amused by doing this activity. The guy could do nothing but laugh and took a bite from the ice cream, looking here and there at people embarrassed, or may be happy. I was wondering if they are friends or in relationship because there was some uniqueness in them unlike all others whom I see. But if they were, they would have been together to this place at least one more time as many other young couple of their age does. But they both never returned together. They can’t be husband and wife, for they were so young as a couple. They didn’t look alike also to say they were brother and sister.


Three years passed, events kept happening one after the other. Delhi had witnessed common wealth games, and today again I saw that girl. She had grown matured, she was standing near her car waiting for someone, but her expressions which were childlike were lost. She was sad, or rather not happy with her life. She stood near the car and was looking at the same place. I wondered if she was also reminded of the incident where she had flown away so many pigeons, or if she was thinking something else. When I was thinking, I saw tears tricking down her cheeks, I confirmed she was reminded of the same incident too. Suddenly her mom came; she wiped the tears and drove the car with a fake smile.

Six months passed by, now I saw the guy. He was walking with his friends, today he was laughing loud and talking a lot unlike the three years before; He stood there for few seconds, watching the pigeons. He forgot the world around him and kept looking when suddenly a friend came back, shook him, made fun of him that he returned to the life. This was the time I confirmed, yes they were in love, they still are, but they don’t understand that, may be they do. But if they were in love, they would have been together to this place at least one more time than the last incident as many other young couple of their age does. But they never returned here together.

After 10 years of this incident, I had grown old, with my vision reducing , I was able to see just the next pillar and hear less of the birds flying but I saw a 5 year old girl running to fly away the pigeons, she was followed by her little brother, catching her behind. I cried my heart as the girl and the boy reminded me of the young couple who had come just once and never returned together. As I was thinking this, I saw the girl and the boy running and hugging their parents screaming mummy and papa and the mummy and papa were none other than the young couple whose incident I had witnessed 13 years ago!

Blessed them a beautiful life as I wondered if I would be alive when they return next time, and I wished they always should come together like I first saw them and not alone with tears in their eyes!

Note: The narrator of the story is the pillar at Connaught place called as CP, which is considered as a heritage by all Delhiites, and is a place which adds to the glory of the capital city. Every individual who would call themselves a Delhiite would certainly have some memories associated with this heritage.




Long live CP; long live the love stories of this place :-)