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“Shoe shine! Shoe shine! Get your shoes polished here!<br />
Smooth and sparkling, we take care of your footwear in five minutes!<br />
Cheap shoe shine!” He scans the crowds pouring out from<br />
the railway station for potential customers. In this heat, most<br />
people are clad in cool sandals and slippers, but occasionally<br />
there steps out a smart young man on the way to his first interview,<br />
or a rich mogul back from a successful business deal who<br />
may be in an expansive mood. Akash glances at the cheap plastic<br />
watch on his wrist. 12:13. He squints up into the sun expectantly.<br />
An almost indiscernible whine heralds the Air France aeroplane<br />
as it makes its customary daily flight to the continent. Akash<br />
grins to himself and feels the familiar peace steal over him as he<br />
drifts into his usual daydream. How it must feel to sit on plush<br />
seats inside a cool cabin. How Chacha said they give you food and<br />
drink free!<br />
Tap. Tap tap. A customer taps his foot on the wooden<br />
stand and Akash gets to work on his shoes.<br />
“Gooooood day, sir! What a lovely pair of shoes. No,<br />
really, I see many types of shoes all day everyday, so I know.<br />
These are really of a very good quality. You should shine them<br />
often to keep the leather soft and malleable. So, did you watch<br />
the cricket match yesterday Ah, what a super sixer Tendulkar<br />
struck! Beautiful.” His brush pauses its incessant rubbing to<br />
make an elaborate arc in the air as he gestures the trajectory of<br />
the ball. “Went clean over the boundary. About thirty yards or<br />
so, I reckon. Definitely one for the record books. Pity we couldn’t<br />
maintain the early lead in the end. If the tail-enders had kept the<br />
momentum up, we could have easily won, eh What do you reckon<br />
No What’re you saying, sir! That wicket was a dream. Fast<br />
outfield, too. Those foreigners sure know how to make a pitch, eh<br />
You ever been abroad, sir No Ah, me neither! But one day I will<br />
definitely go. In a big aeroplane.” Again the brushing hand pauses<br />
to sweep the air around his head. “Watch an Ashes match. Live!<br />
At Lords. Did you know-” Like a professional, Akash keeps up a<br />
constant stream of nonsensical chatter which is a better source<br />
of local news than any newspaper, regional television channel, or<br />
68 Writing Tomorrow Magazine
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