I looked out at the sea.....The sea of humans seated in neat rows ahead of me..I looked at them and marvelled..
Just in front of me sat a mother with a small boy of three seated in her lap.Now and then she would talk softly to him..Doling out water n a packet of chips, a hug or two, a soft admonishment to sit still.. Beside her sat a man of huge proportions, uncomfortably wedged in between the sundry other women. Caught in the wrong place at the right time.. The lady with me, a visitor frm our native Sidhpur, sat wide eyed, imbibing the sight of the crowds around her..Thus we sat and waited, the volunteers warning people to sit still and not stand, when the revered one arrived to the mausoleum..
A child, bored with the goings on suddenly stood and shouted," There ! Look there!" The crowd surged and it seemed as if mayhem would erupt..But the sheepish mother waved her hands guiltily, clamped a hand on her errant sons mouth and the crowd subsided once more..
An hour elapsed, maybe more.Shouts could be heard from outside.. Heads turned restlessly, and then! the cavalcade arrived.To a man, or should i say woman, we surged forward ! All patience abandoned, we clambered to our feet, twas every man for himself, when i realised the lady in my charge had disappeared ! In her place, at my feet, sprawled the fat man, from beneath him came a few muffled squeals. I stood mute and paralysed and watched as in a bowling alley, one by one, women tripped and fell adding to the pile up ! Galvanised, i clutched at a small swatch of her dress that was still visible and with a war cry, pulled with all my might, striviung to push the man mountain off her.. Gravity helped and to my relief there she was, crawling out from under the heap, slippers clutched triumphantly, and held high above..As i collapsed on one side with relief, she took out a bottle of water and grinning widely dangled it in front of my nose..
Just in front of me sat a mother with a small boy of three seated in her lap.Now and then she would talk softly to him..Doling out water n a packet of chips, a hug or two, a soft admonishment to sit still.. Beside her sat a man of huge proportions, uncomfortably wedged in between the sundry other women. Caught in the wrong place at the right time.. The lady with me, a visitor frm our native Sidhpur, sat wide eyed, imbibing the sight of the crowds around her..Thus we sat and waited, the volunteers warning people to sit still and not stand, when the revered one arrived to the mausoleum..
A child, bored with the goings on suddenly stood and shouted," There ! Look there!" The crowd surged and it seemed as if mayhem would erupt..But the sheepish mother waved her hands guiltily, clamped a hand on her errant sons mouth and the crowd subsided once more..
An hour elapsed, maybe more.Shouts could be heard from outside.. Heads turned restlessly, and then! the cavalcade arrived.To a man, or should i say woman, we surged forward ! All patience abandoned, we clambered to our feet, twas every man for himself, when i realised the lady in my charge had disappeared ! In her place, at my feet, sprawled the fat man, from beneath him came a few muffled squeals. I stood mute and paralysed and watched as in a bowling alley, one by one, women tripped and fell adding to the pile up ! Galvanised, i clutched at a small swatch of her dress that was still visible and with a war cry, pulled with all my might, striviung to push the man mountain off her.. Gravity helped and to my relief there she was, crawling out from under the heap, slippers clutched triumphantly, and held high above..As i collapsed on one side with relief, she took out a bottle of water and grinning widely dangled it in front of my nose..
like it..! suspense till the end!
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