On mangoes and rain in Pindi...

Sitting in Boston this fine afternoon, it is hard to believe that only yesterday I was driving in Rawalpindi - something I never thought I would be able to do given the chaotic traffic of that city.

Add to that the fact that I did it in pounding rain. It rained so much and so hard that the streets of pindi were flooded with raging water. At every turn I found myself behind long lines of idling cars. While stuck under an overpass near the famed Aaray Bazaar, I spotted "R.A. Bazaar" written on a billboard and for the first time learned that that was the correct name of that bazaar. I also found a gem of local wisdom - written behind a rickshaw was this line:

akal hovay tay sau vakhaiRay
akal na hovay tay mojaN hi mojaN

Finding an alternative route back to Islamabad was becoming challenging and I was getting stuck deeper and deeper in the maze of Pindi. Here I was in reverse gear on Tulsa Road. There I was making a U-turn on Harley Road. Here I was asking directions from a cab driver in Lalazar at a traffic signal. There I was uttering some choice epithets while banging my hand on the steering wheel.

And then I drove by Mangal Bazaar (i think) and spotted heaps of mangoes artistically placed on rehRis (carts) by the roadside - the sellers long having taken shelter from rain under bazaar's tin roofs. With the characteristic disregard of a suicide bomber, I parked my car and walked in driving rain and thunderstorm to the cart. The seller came running out. I purchased 2 kilos for 100 rupees. Yes, it was raining hard. Yes, I was hopelessly lost with no prospect of finding my way back to Islamabad. But there were mangoes to be purchased.

With the plastic bag full of mangoes placed respectfully on the back seat, the car filled with their fragrance, leaving me to daydream about their taste for the rest of the journey.