"Burger with bun or burger without bun?"
That is primarily what I remember of Pune's German Bakery. After a tour of the nearby Osho Ashram, Bin, B-C and I went over to the renowned bakery for a bite to eat. I had somehow convinced myself that I would never make it out of the Osho Ashram due to some strange mind hex that would be put on me! Of course, the tour turned out to be far less adventurous. We were taken on a short walk of the garden area, told to maintain absolute silence and informed (with much feigned regret) that this area, that area and the next were all out of bounds. Of course, B-C would choose just such a solemn occasion to point out that someone in the group had "alien toes."
Anyhow, I digress.
The German Bakery's menu was very unusual (being completely organic). While I chose the "burger with bun" and stuck to a more familiar fresh lime water, if my memory serves me right, B-C opted for a more exciting beverage - pumpkin and orange or something like that. Memories of happier times.
These memories came flooding back to me as I watched the news recently - the cool, calm cafe now obliterated by a terrorist bomb and I felt quite a pang. I am unsure whether anything justifies the killing of innocent civilians.
As the media goes berserk, countries issue travel advisories, security goes on high alert all over India, we, the general populace, are left wondering: What next? Who next?
In a country where the average lifespan of a person is over 60 years - given that each day is a battle to survive considering our rash road culture, rickety constructions where some engineer made a quick buck, carelessly open sewers and wells, domestic violence, rabid street dogs and more - it is surprising that even half the population makes it for as long as they do. Add to all of that: acts of terrorism. It's just another risk thrown into the mix. We're a resilient race. Down but never out.
The tears, fears, panic and anger may be pouring out now. However, the fact remains: We'll survive yet. That resilience alone speaks volumes about our indomitable strength.
Here's to resilience.
ReplyDeleteI don't want to sound like an a____, but I've always wanted to ask if we choose to be resilient or if we pick up the pieces and move on because there's nothing else that can be done?
ReplyDeleteWhere's the merit if it's not a conscious choice?
Ok I'm done. :)
@U: You have a point there.... life moves on and we've got to deal with it... but there is a degree of resilience...if you take post 9/11 for example, people in remote corners of the US were scrambling to see shrinks, even if they were otherwise unaffected. We've learned to deal and move on without giving shrinks a field day. That's resilience if you think about it :)
ReplyDeleteAnd in the meanwhile,live like we're dying :)
ReplyDelete