Did you realize how much important coco land makes you feel??? If you haven’t yet… just read on…. I realized that my journey spanning from my home to where I “work” is around 40 minutes, and in these 40 minutes of everyday life i feel like a “celebrity”.. from the moment I step outside my gate … I have my first share of celebrity life - my neighbor… with her disgusting smile and sarcasm filled dipped in honey modulated voice … where are you headed …I have to plaster a smile and give her the same answer I give her “EVERYDAY” - work ….. And in my mind – get a life you stupid woman… certain other words that erupt in my mind have been deleted ..
So then after phase I - I move on to pass many more houses on my way to the bus stop, and along with that their unavoidable stare.. and the only factor that makes me oblivious of the world outside is my cutie pie “bling” – my angel in disguise(ya, alright , I have a fetish for my phone) . hmmm so, my savior is my headphone tightly stuffed(literally) into my ears and off I walk … the next phase is Ashraf ikka’s shop… nah his part comes later in the evening where he asks me where have I been, or has a questioning look about my attire(especially if it’s a jeans and t-shirt, and at how thin I have become – yea), its majorly the men who stop by to buy ciggy’s… who see me walking from a distance and stop and stare!!.. And I prance about feigning ignorance and believing in the non-existence of that “soul”… who checks me out from top to bottom while I leave!!!
Phase III – the 2 minutes walk to the bus stop : hahahah…. Irrespective of the auto’s honking inspite of no vehicles, or the automatic slowing down of cars and bikes… and the staring passerby’s , I notice nothing. And mind you… im not claiming to put a thought in your mind that puts me on a higher pedestal among beautiful girls(not that I mind) … but irrespective of the fact of whether you are pretty or not, whether you are salwar clad or in jeans( tried wearing salwar too), this cycle continues.
Phase IV – the auto guys: bang opposite the bus stop is an auto stand, so the moment they see a girl in jeans, with earphones plugged to her ears, they are all ready to STARE !!! … oh no im still feeling all great about myself (sarcasm intended) .and waiting for the bus, I fail to notice the passerby’s, vehicles etc that pass my way.
Phase V – the bus: So I see the awesome bus ( irrespective of all what has been told about the “killer bus” - I still like them). Now here starts the main drama, if I don’t get a place to sit, I have to stand holding onto my dear life , and that’s when the women have their share of staring as well (now i did not only say that its just men who stare) … there is a lot of gender equality and unity when it comes to making me feel like a celebrity.. All of them are very eager to play their role. So coming back to the staring women… who very awkward and absurd though it may seem have a tendency to stare right into my underarms!!!... and that’s when I have this weird feeling of whether I did wax my underarms or not ( seriously, and I even cross check). Now since my back is turned to the major part of the bus, I don’t know what happens there, so id tell you about the scenes that unfold in front of me… the guy who stands near the door(whatever he is called), has to keep checking to see if im alright(since I usually take the same bus, I guess im a regular), and when the bus stops at a signal, the driver turns his head(a complete 360) and has a weird (villain about to rape) smile plastered on his face (now I might be imagining a bit too much here, but that look gives me the creeps).
It’s almost time for me to get of ( halleluiah) ,and I stand up awaiting my turn to literally jump off the bus, in the meanwhile the door guy tries striking up a conversation, and I conveniently ignore his attempts under the pretext of listening to music. So I alight at kaloor (with my head phones in place), and head towards another bus that’d take me to my destination…
Phase VI – The journey from one bus to the other is around another 2 minutes( filled with gapes and stares, and me pretending ignorance – it’s an amazing feeling.). Phase 6 is really small, since I alternate between the bus depending on which leaves first, and by then it’s usually my favorite track that’s playing , which makes me all involved with the track, and has me singing aloud, much to the discomfort of my fellow passengers (im guessing). So then I get off, and then have a small awestruck looks from people below the office and then I rush to the safe haven (with a smile in my mind) and awaiting the evening of the same expressions along with my headphone.
Having come to coco land , I now realize how valuable my headset is, not having even used it once in Mumbai, and now when I go back to Mumbai, minus the occasional stares, I’ll miss the paparazzi effect that kerala showers you with !!! Hail coco – land for making me feel all Special (pun intended)
