Fridays are unusual for me in the usual way. This day is a bit busy for me compared to the other days as it consists of wrapping up the week’s academic work, including the upcoming Monday or Tuesday, so I can be a bit relaxed and keep my weekend free for creative activities. I won’t claim that I work creatively every weekend, keeping aside my academic stuff, rather I would say I try to. The rest depends.
For the last year, the evening of each Friday consisted of a work session in Shiru Cafe. Friday because the cafe remains closed on weekends. It’s a chain of cafes, basically funded by corporate sponsors to promote socialization, start-up ideas, and business talks, as well as serve basic beverages free of cost. It’s less frequented by the students, hence mostly peaceful. The ambience is one of a kind as you can see in the picture below. What else does a student of humanities need?
Excited about today’s session at the cafe, I woke up abruptly and started putting stationary in my pittu bag. I could hear the continuous, innumerable droplets of rain first falling on the leaves of the trees and then slipping onto the ground. It heightened my excitement to two-fold. The idea of viewing the rain pacifying the surroundings while sitting inside the cafe always used to soothe me. Also, unlike other cafes, Shiru cafe’s structure is supported by large-transparent glass from the three sides, which provides a 270-degree view of the surroundings, thus, enhancing the viewing experience.
As I peddled my bicycle to the road, holding an umbrella in one hand and the cycle’s handle in the other, the intensity of the rain increased. Determined to visit, view, work and have my green tea, I kept cycling until I reached there. Except for half of the part above the waist, I was completely drenched. Nonetheless, a sense of satisfaction spread over my face on having the first glance at my happy space. I took a deep breath, parked the bicycle, clogged my umbrella and tried to push the entry gate, as always. It was locked. I tried to locate the OPEN/CLOSE leaflet which had been hung there since the day it started. To my surprise, I found it missing for the first time since I started visiting the place. I peeped through the glass for the detail. I couldn’t believe on my eyes what I saw.
The ACs have been pulled off. Furniture is dusty and lying hither and thither. The compressor and other stuff were kept on the table. The counter was in ruin. The equipment to process juice and tea was dismantled. The wall looked empty as the multiple LED TVs which used to show advertisements were removed. The glass was besmeared with dust. The whole place was in utter chaos. I rambled to the other gate but it was also latched. I stood motionless for a considerable time, not knowing what to do and where to go. The rain kept soaking me. With a heavy heart, I moved to the parking lot. My leg refused to support me. I went in a series of flashbacks. Don’t know how many hours I spent here- thinking and reading. Wrote several posts while sitting at my favourite table. Tried several beverages and finally stuck to green tea. I saw several seasons come and go while sitting here. How much I adore the trees surrounding it which bore flowers during the spring. Several students coming and going. Some were like me. They used to come regularly. I recalled two bhaiya who used to serve us the beverages. When the clock would strike 5:30 PM, one of them would come to me to say in a soft tone, Sir! Ab humlog close kar rhe hain. Watching me engrossed in work, they would often extend the time by 10-15 minutes. All would be lost! They would also be looking for new jobs.
I understood that the cafe service was discontinued. It came to me almost as a surprise. There was no mention of it when I visited the last Friday. I tried consoling myself with the opinion that they might be renovating the space. But how much I consoled myself, I knew the truth. To assure myself, I took out my phone, searched for the contact no. of bhaiya who worked there as a staff and texted him.
Hi Bhaiya! Shiru Cafe band ho rha hai kya?
“Ji Sir! Ye ab band ho gya“, he replied instantly.
I couldn’t muster the courage to read the full message. I took a quick glance, and with a broken heart, I took the bicycle, hung the umbrella on its handle and peddled in a direction which even I didn’t know.
The rain kept rinsing me.
©Shashank
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