Iceberg twice

The teenager tiptoed into Dorabjees, a super exclusive mall in the heart of the city. He felt uneasy and unsure whether his dress made him stand out. A friendly usher smiled and told him " Sir, can I help you? they are promoting a lavender cologne called Iceberg" The teenager had not realised that he was staring at a fancy stall located in the middle of the atrium . Costing a whopping $12 dollar for a 75 ml bottle, the cologne was way out of his league. After a stroll, he left the mall. It was a strange hobby; to walk along the aisle of expensive malls. He knew he was taking the risk of being caught and possibly being humiliated. But that didn't deter him. He looked forward to his excursions. Today was special. He was leaving Pune the day after and would have really liked to purchase that cologne - Iceberg. It sounded really cool and had a spicy, amber fragrance that he loved. "Someday, I will buy this" he thought


It was twenty years since his excursion in Dorabjees. He had spent most of his last twenty years studying and working abroad. The hometown he had left behind had evolved into this busy metropolis. Everything had changed, so had Dorabjees - now called Pavilion, it was home to some of the most expensive brands in the world.

Twenty years later he still enjoyed his walk along main street to Dorabjees. Confident that his Polo jacket would be noticed and appreciated he entered Pavilion with the joy he had never felt before. He wanted to preserve this emotion, bottle it up like a cologne.

The friendly ushers smiled and showed him the way. They were just as friendly as the man in Dorabjees. They didn't display any special attention to the prodigal son. They didn't know that he had now won his right on this high table after slugging it out in the rat race. For them he was just another potential customer. It then dawned on him that the change was completely internal. The ushers didn't care then and wouldn't care now. He had won an internal battle, where his alter ego had more respect for himself than it did twenty years ago. A battle was being fought internally wherein he was both, the spectator and the foot soldier, and noone else had a clue of its occurence. The battle was over and he felt he had emerged victorious.

The new found sense was amusing but real. As he regained his thoughts, he found himself in front of a giant perfume stall. The pretty lady at the counter asked" Sir, what can I get you?" Without a moment of hesitation he replied. " Iceberg" or Iceberg twice".

Come sit for a spell

I met him again today or did I? The well known doctor is today an alzeimher patient. He adjusted his chair to get it exactly perpendicular to the porch. The disease had killed his memory but had not killed an innate attribute - perfection. He stared at me with the look that said " who are you?" I told him, " Grandpa, do you like it here? Do you want to come to Pune with us"? I spoke to him even though I knew he would not reply. He had stopped communicating for more than a year. He got up from his chair devoid of all emotion almost as if he had not heard me and stepped into the garden. I followed him knowing it was twilight and it would get dark soon.