even while travelling
what i had kind of started in hostel in the last few days...
and i went to ask one of them
in the middle of the game,
(while the ball was quite away from him)
'kya main aap logon ke saath khel sakta hoon'...
but he was too engrossed in the match,
and there was an instant sign of negation at his face, and he said
'nahi... unse puchho',
i smiled and traced back to my same place, i didn't want to ask anyone again. it felt good watching the whole place awakened and liven up after the its long afternoon siesta. i also liked that i didn't miss to see old men playing chess sitting at the plinth on the other side of the stage. there were about six chess boards lined up ,
from the corner of the gate
which leads down to the lake,
and each surrounded by a small audience
other than the two who played.
and i thought that instead of chess
if they had been playing cards
it wouldn't have given that ‘nawabi andaaz’ which still links to the history of the place. (this just now reminds of a movie called ‘shatranj ke khiladi’, directed by satyajit ray starring faarukh sheikh, shabana azmi, saeed jaffery, sanjeev kumar which is all about two nawabs indulged in a game of chess,day and night, whatever the conditions be. even when they were forced out of their homes, they continued their game in mosquito-ridden outdoors)
but another contrast or irony that i now see in what i saw is this
when in bright hot day all men, like me
were seeking shade to rest
and by the khirni tree and another on the boundary
their tired souls get blessed
then at night, boys play football in whatever light
that came from one lamp, alone in the dark lane
and a little more from another on the main road side.
and old men gathered in their own small place
defined by light from another lamp at the corner
and sat like nawabs on the plinth, to play chess.
Both the games with an enthusiasm no less
than what you'd find in a club or complex.
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