LIFE IN CHENNAI


Fifty bhaiyyas

Fifty bhaiyyas polished the wooden railings
Of a five-star hotel all through the day
For wages equal to its price of a mineral water bottle.


The Coom River

The Coom river wore a glistening black satin dress
All the jasmines in the Chennai women's hair
Are not enough to cancel its offensive odour.



Beggars in the temple


Beggars in the Chennai temples
Are heavy with metal but light on stomachs
An eight percent inflation has taken its toll .


Super-speciality hospitals

Conscientious surgeons
Perform complicated surgeries
Even for common colds
They have stiff targets, you see.


Speeding water tankers


Speeding water tankers knock down
One pedestrian per trip
They get paid on number of trips per day.




The doorman of the five-star hotel

The moustachioed doorman of the five-star hotel
Has opened his house-door ,as a matter of habit,
Even to the early morning milkman.


Driver Minnal

Singapore-returned driver Minnal remains a bachelor
He could not find a sophisticated bride
Who can converse with him at his level.





On a rainy day

On a rainy morning the Chennai office-goer
Reaches office just in time for the night shift