Waiting

Waiting is something I don't do very well. Ask my (late) mother! Considering my lack of patience, a friend once asked me if I had indeed gone through with 9 months of pregnancy before my daughter's birth! So when I found myself about an hour early for my lecture at St. Xavier's college, Mumbai on Sunday, I did not know what to do.

For some reason the flight from Hyderabad arrived early at the airport and at 9.30 a.m., most of Mumbai seemed to be asleep, or at least off the roads and half an hour later I found myself in the majestic corridors of Xavier's, an old Mumbai institution that continues to refresh its reputation with each new movie featuring its famous basketball court that hits the multiplex. But today seemed to be a rest day for the hoops, no cameras, no props. I sat at a bench near the canteen, overlooking benches where a few students studied in groups of three or four. A girl with a bright orange top and large earrings walked to the adjacent table after turning the fan on. A boy with a two-day stubble picked another spot and took out a laptop. The silence broke occasionally with loud laughter from a group. Two thick rainforest canopies of green provided relief against the gray rock facade of the building on either side of the canteen. A solitary sparrow skipped about, pecking at crumbs. A couple of crows perched on the wires overhead. A snow white cat napped under my bench. A few students moved towards the volleyball court and started a boisterous game.

A man arrived with a snack. As he munched his sandwich, the cat moved to a seat right within his sight, smacked its lips purposefully, multiple times. The man continued eating but just before he got up, he threw a piece of bread. The cat silently picked up the morsel and found a secluded spot to enjoy its bounty. The weather was perfect, warm but not hot, hazy not humid. I decided to leave my hair loose about my shoulders, not tie it up as I always do in humid places. I picked up Aleph by Paulo Coelho, hoping to catch up on my reading. But I decided otherwise. I stopped the urge to always "do" something. I observed instead. I did not compare. I tried not to judge. I was "in the moment". And so an hour passed. I looked at my watch - 11 a.m. Perfect I thought, time for me to teach. But the teacher before me was not done yet. So I continued to wait in the same spot. I resisted the urge to open my laptop and check email. I tugged at Aleph, then put it back. The game continued. Groups of students came and went, like gentle waves in the ocean not far from the building. The benevolent arched corridors looked on. And so did I.