Random incidents-2

Best people I have found in Chennai are the Muslims. They speak Hindustani (a mixture of hindi and urdu),are very polite, full of 'tehzeeb', and always ready to help. Have met quite a few of them on my bus trips from Adyar to places i find difficult to spell and also met a few during the times i got the questionnaire filled with the chemist. 

I met this particular old man at a chemist. He was just sitting there, observing things. It didnt look as if he held any stake in the shop, but he sure must have been some friend of chemist for he was sitting without a worry in the world. He observed me, all exhausted due to extreme heat and chemist's extreme lack of knowledge of any of the two languages i know. He waited for me to finish off the thing and then gestured me to come.

"Aap kaun si basti se hain?", He asked.

Basti??...Ok, must be his translation of city.

I answered Delhi to his satisfaction. Then he asked as to why am i doing what i am doing - the questionnaire thing. He advised me about taking liquids constantly, so that one can brave the heat of chennai and other stuff.

I agreed with him on most of the generic advices he gave about surviving the weather of Chennai. Then, i took his leave.

He said, "Maashallah, itni chhoti si umr mein itna tez dimaag mila hai, bahut tarakki karoge...bahut tarakki karoge."

Seriously, this was the first sign of any wamth i saw in Chennai. Nah, believe me, first signs of warmth.