
His tripod stood there
balancing a thali
full of music
he wielded a peeling knife
like a plectrum
flecking aloo and onion
into a conical newspaper horn
he deftly strummed them
into the puffed rice
mixing it up like a DJ
who scratches in a tart crunch
with tamarind chutney,
we stood as audience
letting his notes
dance on our palate,
I passed by today
where he played his solo
to the residents
now it is as bare
as a non-hawking zone,
we look for similar strains
in AC restaurants
where the music that plays
is manufactured.
Mrinalini Harchandrai is an independent copywriter and faculty for copywriting at Ecole Intuit Lab in Mumbai. Her poems have been printed, performed and featured with gallery artwork in India and abroad. Most recently, she was invited as poet delegate at the Goa Arts and Literary Fest, 2016.