I swear Sharifa leaves  puddles after she mops, just so she can see me tippy toe over them and lose my balance!

She’s a lady who helps us clean our home…..yes, she’s a ‘maid’. We have them in every home in the city. Even my dirt poor friend who lives in semi- slum conditions has one. They all ‘take too much money’ (they are underpaid as hell) ‘never do any work properly’ (they don’t really see what the big deal is about having a spot of dust in a corner, they live in appalling surroundings) ‘they take advantage of you if you’re nice to them once’ (they get yelled at a lot and they’re never  given a day off) and they are untouchable. When Munni , the last lady who worked for us left, I gave her a hug – indeed they are touchable. I even did a small feature on her earlier

If I’m working in my room and Sharifa needs to sweep or mop (it’s not actually mopping , she just has a bucket of soapy water and a hand cloth) I leave my room, or go stand in a corner with one foot on top of the other like a deranged trapeze artist. Yes I’m quite entertaining that way….

And it’s back to studying folks!

All social ties have been unraveled and my phone will now grow a fuzzy beard, because exams are just around the corner. In the meanwhile I’ve been spending more time at home (when have I ever gone out?) and wallowing in nostalgia already by thinking about how my uni days are about to end. College life in Delhi isn’t like typical university life. You feel part of a family (which you really hate 88% of the time) where any small thing is made a really big deal of, whether it’s missing classes or having a roadside treat with friends. Every single thing is pulled out of proportion and it ends up being a larger than life experience as a whole. I’m going to miss it. But oh well, tougher times to look forward to I guess.

This is a song that my college has been singing for years at competitions, it’s ‘Advaita’- an Indian (Delhi based I believe) fusion band with their version:

For something more soothing and fusion-esque :

Tatao’z