Nippy When Turn Wintry Nights Poem by Aniruddha Pathak

Monsoon skies as recede behind,
Wafts in winter's first nippy chills,
Beds of hazy stars when get lined
Up Milky Way off Poona hills,
City's night owls then seem to pine,
At street-end joints of local hue,
For a night cap soon as they dine,
To warm ah with a boiling brew!

Out they're with family and friends,
Night crawlers to none else inclined
Than downing a quart at street ends—
City's many a milky find,
And stand-alone no-frills bars, out
To leave no fad unturned to please
Poona folks of old Pethi1 clout,
No, no up-market leased chains these.

The drink is flavoured with saffron,
Condiments and grounded dry fruits,
Attracting crowds in captive drone—
Of kind tethered to ancient roots,
Culture-driven crowd as in fairs,
To socialise with kindred feather,
For glib Pethi1 gossip, fresh airs,
If not, to chill in wintry weather.

The milk everywhere nigh the same,
Alcohol as remains at base
In hard drinks too many in name,
And differs still in every case;
Rare is the treat, and quality
That no Poona man worth his salt
Would pay more for, if no worthy—
A trait, unalterable alt!

A healthy drink, to pockets tight,
And served cosy on vehicle seat,
A hot-day's drill, wintry chill to beat,
A potion robust as is right,
Call them pucca Pethi1 purists
Parking an old-world Poona charm,
For long Poona's brood -loving beasts,
Penny-pinching parsimonious palm!

Comes summer, milk turns to ice-cream,
No up-market shop, nor parlour,
For, fancy turns no Poona dream,
Let world for Western ways clamour.
Food has to be wholesome, healthy,
No wanton display if wealthy,
Value for whatso is Indian trait,
And Poona folks flaunt it, no bait.
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Peth1 is a kind of street typical of Poona.
This piece was penned during my long vacation in western hills near Poona, a charming mid-size town when I used to visit it long back, but now a sprawling city. Yet its old local culture has survived in a few pockets. ______________________________________________________
Reminiscing | 10.01.16 |