2nd floor, no lift
Kitne aadmi hoyenge?
I asked
Panicking
With no idea
No cap on the number of people spilling in
To squeeze between the pink walls of my 2bhk hall.
Kuchh toh number batao
Naam ginte ginte baareekiyon mein chale gaye
Iske boyfriend, uske break up mein
Final number still missing.
Log aaye, peeyaa, gaana gaya, chale gaye.
Sab shuroo. Sab smaapt.
Party ke baad tak bhi pata na chala
Kitne aadmi the!
Jitne bhi the.. sahi the
Na kam na zyada
Itni bheed thhi ki mix karna hi pade
Itni kam thhi ki dance kar sakein.
Kaafi der tak radio waale radio se, advertisng waale advertisng se, aur mba wale mba se hi milein.
Ek do postmen bheje doosri taraf, but hello hi ki chitti daal ke
Woh bhi laut aaye.
Par later sab kumbh ke mele ke bichde bhai nikle.
Kabhi trance lagaya
Kabhi hip hop
Kabhi jack mere bb mein, kabhi tere
Par jab bajaya – ae kaash ki hum hosh mein ab aane naa payein...
Toh sab saath mein school bus mein shayad pahunch gaye
Aur haath uttakar, aankhen bandh karkar sabne ek saath gaya.
Chowkidaar aaya – hello neeche laal gaadi kiski hai?
Neighbours aayein – jaante hain aap kya time ho raha hai?
Duniya ke saath thoda compromise karke
We continued.
Subah utte toh toofan ke baad gaon mein bache-kuche jhopde, tooti cyclein, destroyed handpump and barbed wire mein ek atki murgi dikhi
Par safai mein, jab plastic ka glass utaaya ya ek yet unopened wine bottle ko paaya toh laga jo kooda hota hai ache ke liye hi hota hai.