Bangalore was his first city. He had grown up in a small town and went to college in a smaller town. He hadn't missed much because large Indian cities were hot, humid and crowded. But Bangalore was different in clime and character. The sun shone milder, the wind was cooler and the citizenry was mostly retired. The city had just seen an influx of a young population, the foot-soldiers of what was termed an IT revolution. These hordes descended upon MG road and Brigade road on friday nights to laugh at everything and buy nothing in particular. The demographics even affected the pavements. While in other cities, the pavements of crowded streets are reserved for plastic kitchenware and cheap underwear, Bangalore footpaths sold quirky tshirts, trendy sunglasses and cheap prints of the popular novels. Just before Valentine's day, street vendors would hold out buckets of red roses.
It happened that one of these fads was a certain kind of doll. She was dressed in vaguely English clothes - chequered skirt, cap and a bag crossed across her shoulder and waist. She had longish legs, a round face and a wide smile on it. He had noticed these dolls before but he paid attention only when they caught her eye. She seemed extremely pleased with the doll and even had a name for it - "Chimbi paava". The seller must have noticed her excitement with it, because the price quoted seemed exhorbitant. He decided to keep an eye out for this novelty and when he noticed a huge collection in Jayanagar market for almost half the price, he notified her immediately.
She was in a quandary. She wanted the doll but would have to break her vow of not riding pillion with him. She must have been desperate because she agreed readily and they sneaked out from their office after coffee-break. They passed through the many parks of Jayanagar and when they finally arrived at the market, she let a cry of disappointment. The dolls displayed were, according to her, nothing like the "Chimbi paava" but only poor imitations. He couldn't fathom any difference because the specimen at hand had the same spindly legs and goofy smile. To pacify her, he took her back to his sister's place where he lived. The landlord gave them an eye-over but did not say anything.
She kept lamenting the fact that she had gotten over her inhibitions about riding on his bike for nothing. He smiled and promised her that he would get her the original Chimbi paava at a bargain. On their next trip to Brigade road, he bought her the much sought-after artifact at a minor discount and made her happy. Though he couldn't understand why she liked the doll so much, it reminded him of her. Later, when their son was born, he eagerly brought the doll to him. But the baby was terrified of the oversized doll and rejected her immediately. And yet, the leggy doll lives with them to this day - she might be a little disheveled and dirty, but she has her wide smile, intact.
~Him
© 2019 Subhash G