A walk in the street

During my last visit to India after 2 years, I realized all over again that a walk in an Indian metropolis is either a treat or a mis-treat for your senses.

• one moment you taste the sumptuous dishes from a streetside vendor during lunch break at office and the very next moment you inhale the smoke and polluted air while walking back to your office

• One moment you hear the soothing music of sitar playing at a music shop and the next moment you hear a loud ear-piercing honk of a passer-by car

• One moment when you hold a silk saree or check out the intricate design of a kashmiri shawl and you appreciate it's beauty and craftsmanship, next moment you jostle to get in a busy train and rubbed by the sweaty and hairy hand of a co-passenger.

• One moment you smell beautiful 'jui' and other aromatic flowers at a street side flower shop and within five minutes you smell the ammonia of someone pissing by the street or even the paid toilets

• One moment you see a bevy of young girls beautifully dressed for a special occassion and your heart start racing and the next moment you see a few homeless & hungry kids begging for a few bucks and your heart starts crying

It is what it is, an enigma and paradox of an Indian metropolis...