Gurgaon

Traffic is at its peak in Gurgaon around 6 PM. The Millennium city, home to several thousands working in glitzy jobs in tall glass buildings, is at its inflection point during this twilight hour. Soon, several young men and women will march out of their offices, having navigated one more day successfully. They will have their own aspirations for what follows, while some will choose to go the the gym after navigating the crazy traffic, some will choose to spend time with their family. Some will go out for drinks, during which the topic of discussion will vary from the latest office scandal to lucrative stocks to invest in. Others, who will consider themselves unlucky, will still be stuck in front of their laptops even when back from work, wondering if the benefits of continuous connectivity in the smart-phone era is indeed a boon.

For Anand, the day starts at this hour. He owns a chai-stall in one of the back-fields behind Cyber-City, which itself is home to almost all the important MNCs operating in India. The back-fields serve as an illegal parking space for hundreds of employees who cannot afford to pay the extravagant parking fee for a legal space inside Cyber City. By natural extension, the back-fields are also home to several small dhabas which provide an alternate meal provision for the not-so-well-off employees who can’t afford a cook at home or the Yum-Yum-Chas and Burma Burmas of Cyber city. During night time, the scenery of the back-field becomes far more erotic as food becomes secondary to flesh in terms of trade volume.

Anand belongs to Mungeri, a small village near Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh. He is sixteen years old, and has been running this chai-stall for the last three years. Initially he had his younger brother to support him, but he found life in the city too terrible. Anand sent him back to Mungeri to live with their mother, and support her in day-to-day labour activities at the zamindar’s farm. Anand’s father had passed away six years back, forcing him to come to the city in search of work. He had initially worked as house-help, or chhotu, in one of the big bungalows in a residential area. After working for fourteen months, and saving most of his earnings to be sent back home, he had been thrown out of the bungalow after one of three dogs went missing. The blame naturally came on him, he who loved the dog the most, and despite apologizing profusely for a crime he didn’t commit, he had to leave without two months’ pay.

Anand used some of his savings to buy a small cart, a stove and began selling tea in the residential area market. However, business was slow, and he was considering returning to his village when his friend asked him to try the business centre of the city – Cyber City. Anand was skeptical, but decided to give it a shot. His friend was right, he was able to sell nearly two hundred cups daily, allowing him to make slightly more than he could as chhotu. Plus, he avoided all the beatings he had to take earlier. He also enjoyed talking to his regular customers, some of whom told him very interesting stories about the latest phone they had bought, their struggles in those glass buildings, their plans to go to America and so on. Sometimes, Anand felt he could almost live their life, such was his imagination.

His favorite customer was Avinash. Avinash visited him four times daily. Unlike others, he was never in a rush. He would take out his cigarette, light it, and smoke it peacefully, pausing intermittently for a sip of Anand’s chai. After he was done, he would talk about a variety of things. The reason why Anand really loved him was because he was the only one who asked Anand’s view on things. While most of his regulars were polite and spoke to him in a friendly manner, Avinash was the only one who really talked to him. He would ask him about life in his village, his parents, what he thought of the city, and even discuss cricket matches with him. Avinash also told him about his company and the work he did, although this was beyond Anand’s comprehension. He told him about his plans to propose to a girl soon, and discussed what would be the best way to approach her.

That day began like any other day. Anand had woken up from his afternoon slumber and gone to take a leak in the bushes behind his stall. When he came back, he saw a babu in a tailored shirt and trousers outside his stall. Anand immediately wiped his hand on his sleeve and went behind the cart and inquired whether he would like bada chai ya chhota chai. Babu looked at him, grinned, and asked him where he was from. Anand, in his usual bright manner told him. Babu didn’t wait long to deliver his message, the Government had decided to make an underpass behind Cyber City. This would go right through the back-fields. Babu told him to go back to his village – his work in the city was illegal. The bull-dozers and cranes would come tomorrow. Babu left- he didn’t deem it necessary to pay for the bada chai.

It was a small matter – Anand thought. He could try his luck elsewhere – there were whispers that Sohna road was the next Cyber City. Anand would miss his regulars but he realized the poor can’t afford the luxury of friendships and acquaintances. After a couple of hours, Avinash came for his evening fix. He was very angry, arguing how it is unfair to give only a day’s notice. He offered Anand money to make the transition easier, but Anand refused. After the cup of tea, Avinash gave Anand a hug and told him that they would meet soon. Anand knew this to be untrue but held his silence – a tiny tear trickled down his cheek.

Avinash left office around 8 pm. He had to reach Sector-29 where he was meeting some friends. He was excited as the girl from office whom he liked would also be there. He had decided to confess his feelings to her tonight. His friends were already waiting when he reached the place. The music was quite loud, and very soon everyone was lost in drinking and swaying their heads to the raucous music.

The trouble with Avinash was he couldn’t hold his drinks very well. Three whiskeys down, he went to Isha and tried to stir up a conversation. Isha thought Avinash was a decent guy, but she was quite taken aback when he told her about his feelings. She was already dating another office colleague, she told him politely. Avinash went back to his seat, feeling dejected. His friends tried to cheer him up when he told them, they ordered some shots for him. In the moment, Avinash ended up mixing quite a lot of tequila with the whiskey he had consumed earlier.

Head spinning, Avinash left the bar around 11 pm. His home was only five kilometers away, and he was confident of navigating his way easily in his car. His mind was still full of Isha when he saw a car coming wrong side towards him. He didn’t have enough time to brake so he swerved left, lost control, and the car jumped on the pavement. He felt he hit something, he heard a squeak, the car stopped and Avinash felt a surge of adrenaline. He had never been in an accident before.

Avinash sat in the car for a full two minutes before stepping out to investigate. The front bumper had come lose, there were scratches all along, and what was this? There was blood on the number plate. Avinash felt terrible – he must have killed a dog or a cat. Feeling scared and mildly disgusted, he looked under the car. And there he was, his entire head covered in blood. His arms were dangling loosely, broken, as if hugging his younger brother. As he eventually recognized Avinash, Anand’s last words were, “You have come to save me”, and then he was no more.