Caught in the middle

 You know how it is when you're spending much of your working day driving around amchi Mumbai, meeting clients across the city. So, there I was, a couple of months back when summer was still around. Early May, sweltering under a cloudless scorching sun, cooling myself in the comfort of an air-conditioned car (and raising a smiling eyebrow at the memory of an ex-colleague, Aditya Kulkarni, now in Dubai who used to say "The man who invented air-conditioning? HE is GOD!!"....

Anyway, so there I was, at the Amar Mahal junction, stopped at a traffic light, around 3 or so. Blistering heat outside. Me, keeping cool, listening to some old Hindi songs on the radio. And, as usual, looking out at life in the metro. 

Three young girls, by the side of the road. Looking like school girls, perhaps 16 - 17 years of age. Dressed "hip" - jeans, tee-shirts etc. One of them wearing a shoulder bag, carrying books perhaps. Two of them are in what appears to be an argument. (The traffic lights at Amar Mahal take quite some time, as you might perhaps know)

The two girls have been arguing and the intensity of that argument appears to be increasing. The third one, quiet, not involved in this fight, looks around, obviously embarrassed at the "scene" that's taking place. I watch, interested to see how she reacts. The other two, oblivious to the potential embarrassment, have kind of "peaked" their disagreement - one of them stomps off, in a huff. The other flounces her hair and turns her back and appears to peremptorily command the quiet girl to come with her. Miss Quiet is reluctant, wants to strive for a rapprochement and goes running after the Miss Walk Away. 

Grabs her hand, pleads with her, and drags her back to Miss Flouncing. And then she talks to both of them. All this within less than a minute. She tries to make peace, to make both of them shake hands, or whatever. I'm smiling now. And then, suddenly, I am not. Smiling, I mean - not any more.

How often have you seen men get into fights by the side of the road? Growing up in Madras (before those Kazhagam guys went and made it Chennai), I've witnessed many a "fight" where the two protagonists swear vulgar abuses (and speaking of vulgar abuses, I doubt if any other language can stoop to the depths of a Madrasi's Tamil - that's a separate story!). Anyway, the two protagonists, each having first ensured that they are effectively held back by supporters, throw several punches in the air, careful not to hit the opponent. That's the ritual (with some genuine exceptions - which, too, is a separate story)

Coming back, why I was no longer smiling. The Miss Quiet, seeking to bring about peace, suddenly becomes a victim - Miss Walk Away, with no prior warning, suddenly cocks her right hand back, lets loose one solid punch with a tightly closed fist, right into the girls chin. WHAM! Out of nowhere! Miss Quiet lets out a kind of surprised "Woof" and goes down to her knees, another punch follows to the head and there she is, flat out, kayoed perhaps...

The blare of horns from vehicles behind shake me up, the traffic light's green, I engage gears and move on leaving behind me an incomplete story of a quiet girl caught in the middle....