The 5 a.m paratha

"Mumbai was under seige... Tension had permeated the entire city as news of the riots spread like wild fire.... Office goers wondered whether their families were safe and made frantic calls asking them not to step outside..... I was caught in the midst of this chaos with two of my office colleagues.... I was not so worried about my family as my parents were safe in my sisters house... however a chaos is never easy and slowly my colleagues and I made our way through the streets ... treading carefully and cautiously, not knowing when and where the next danger would come from.... all of a sudden the lights went off.... The streets were plunged into darkness...darkness brought with it its favourite bedfellow- pandemonium ... kids crying, women shrieking, men screaming..... I grabbed onto my colleagues hand in fright - afraid to loose the one familiar face in the sea of people....afraid that I might not see the next day... when all of a sudden I caught sight of my parents making their way through the crowded chaotic streets in search of me... A rush of relief came over- i suddenly felt protected .... I ran to my equally relieved parents.... I was finally home..."

And soon after that I woke up with a start...It was 4:30 in the morning and the world was quiet... the dream was still vivid in my brain ..... I went and hugged my mom who was sleeping peacefully probably dreaming about a lazy Sunday.... I lay down next to her like I used to when I was a child, before the weirdness and issues of youth crept into our relationship... I felt safe, secure, peaceful... I was home....

Ofcourse the real life chaos started soon therafter... my mom kicked me out of bed saying I was disturbing her... And I went off into the kitchen to make paratha .... at 5 a.m. in the morning.... Hearing the chaos in the kitchen my mom woke up .... and that is how a mom and daughter sat together peacefully relishing the 5 a.m. paratha..... Ahh.. Sunday is here...

P.S. Btw, Jubs, the colleague I saw in my dream was you... funny huh?