Bike wisdom

People on two-wheelers fill me with more dread than smokers (if that were even possible!). However, I do admire their bohemian insouciance. Especially in Pune. They don't wear helmets. They drive recklessly. They talk, sing, whistle, hoot, swerve, skid, repeat. They approach any space on the road, at times the footpath even, with the ferocity of rabid rottweilers. But sometimes, I see them being kind. Especially to other bikers. And sometimes, they are wise.

Like today.

I'd gone to drop off clothes at the laundry. There was a long wait outside. The person who was usually clued in to where bundles of ironed clothes were kept was absent. People started getting antsy. A couple of minutes later, a bike with two men stopped outside the laundry. They peered in and one of them started complaining loudly. He'd come by earlier in the morning and it was just as crowded. Why wasn't the fellow who organized the bundles here yet. And this is exactly the sort of thing that can put you off errands on a Saturday forever. And how all this was just oh so pissing off!

I agreed with him on every count.

His friend, a tall guy with a calm face, grinned. In a lazy, low voice he said, "Humaare pissed off hone se duniya nahin badlegi."

Touche. Sageness comes in many forms.