About Me

Name:

Suffice it to say that I am an ardent particularist. What this means is that I like to look at the particulars (Duh!). So for example, I like the deep furrows on a withered tree trunk, the jet black curly hair of a woman walking past me, the swing of a very short skirt on the behind of a girl in front of me, the sunflower like irises in my husband's blue pupils, the soft and gentle curves of his body, the shape of a pebble that skirts off the tyres of a truck at a construction site, the toc-toc-toc of the table tennis ball on the table, the feel of a full mango fruit in the palm of your hand, a bowl of translucent, red, pomegranate seeds, the speckled sunlight on a patch of grass under a tree, the deep yearning for someone you care about and love, the deep sense of grief when you have to forget someone you love, the mixture of white steamed rice and pink oleander petals strewn on the cold dark stone tile of the temple, the smell of a decaying banana leaf, the pungent smell of a raw mango just fallen from the tree, the clang of utensils and the clamour of sundry voices and stray dogs infused with the smell of boiling tea as India wakes to life every morning, and so on...

Saturday, November 11, 2006

Raphael

I met Raphael when I was boarding at a Spanish school in Panama. It was around 8pm and myself and the other students were preparing dinner. He had just landed in town and was being introduced to all of us by the school manager. He walked in like a crisp, autumn breeze in his black shirt, dark framed glasses and Fidel Castro baseball hat. I was mesmerized by him the moment I saw him. His dark eyes that always twinkled kindly when he looked at you, his accent in English, the way he said the Spanish "y" with an upswing in the pitch at the end, the swagger in his gait, the confidence with which he carried himself, his playfulness, the clear face on which all the thoughts that went through his head were reflected, the way he said "tranquilo" and "todo bien?" and "eeeeazy".

Needless to say, I was in awe of him. But what affected me most were the conversations we had. They were gentle, free of judgements, undirected- they flowed like the Caribbean sea that surrouded us.

posted by Gayatri | 1:50 PM

0 Comments:

Post a Comment

<< Home