Ice cream!

Walking down the lanes and by-lanes of Calcutta....Yes, Calcutta... I usually happen to see a raydiwala as we locally call them, the vendors. There he is! Walking down the above mentioned lanes and by-lanes, on hot quiet afternoons. His rickety-crickety ice box-on-wheels; the rectangular board on top; and small colorless pictures of ice-creams (most of them actually not available in this precious ice box) fiercely protected by plastic sheets, dangling from the rectangular plate like shedded snake skin.

Again here, we have the fancy one and the not-so-fancy one. The former will usually be dressed upto the mark in a crisp blue or red uniform supplied by 'his' multinational comany. The breast pocket will sport an emblem which speaks of his elite association and makes him nothes higher than his local counterparts.

The later one. His appearance is not the one to impress you. You'll find him rather under-dressed. In a tattered ganji and a pair of sorry looking blue 'half-pant'. The feet, if they're lucky will have rubber chappals. And oh! I must not forget to mention his trademark gamchha. This to wipe the sweat off his face, shoulders and his armpits.

Ok. So now we have our typical raydiwala. walking down the lanes and by-lanes. The gamchha slung on his shoulder and the pictures fluttering in minimum, warm air. The sun beating down his back and drawing color form the already colorless pictures.

He's shouting "esscre..e....e...mmm" in his Bengali accent. You would wonder to whom!?!?!? There's no one on the streets on a hot sultry afternoon in Calcutta; atleast not awake, nor working, nor walking. No sign of life mister! And just when you start to feel sorry for the poor man, who should yell back? "Ice cream!"

His loyal fan! One girl. From her verandah. So tiny that neither the vendor, nor I could spot her. Her voice as loud (in it's own way) as his. Both so sure of the pleasures of the product they were selling and buying. The icecreamwala's face lit up and he turned and started puuling his box backwards. He looks at me and asks "kahan se didi?" (where's the sound coming from). And I was only to eager to help him find the spot.

Both of smiled for our own reasons. He probably because he'd found his CUSTOMER-OF-THE-DAY. I only because of the sweetness the whole event held; emotionally and literally.