In Another Life

26/08/23

It is morning and the sharp whistle of the pressure cooker wakes me up. The smell of curry leaves, mustard seeds, onions and chillies being sautéed in ghee hits me a second later and I smile. I am home for the summer. 

I fall into routines as if I have never left. I sit at the dining table that has been in this house for three generations now, and shovel homemade poha into my mouth. The tanginess of the single squeeze of lemon teases my taste buds and I chew faster. I am greedy in my consumption, as if trying to tell myself that the faster I eat, the more I eat, the more I am able to ground myself in this present, this present which is so different from my other present, the one that isn’t in this country. 

Another day, I wake up early and head to Nehru Park. 

This piece was first published on RIC Journal. Click here to read the full story.

Cover image sourced from here.