What a mad house this world is! There is bustle and activity everywhere. Everyone is busy for nothing. There is no respite anywhere. Day in and day out it is the same story. I am a lamp-post and I am a silent spectator of all that is happening. Good people hurrying homewards after the day’s work bless me while thieves hate me. They think that I am standing in their way of carrying on their wicked trade. The lovers too shun me because they feel that I am prying into their love affair.
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The road on which I stand is always crowded. There is a great rush of vehicles plying to and fro. Buses, motor cars, scooters, cycles pass by me in a never-ending line. Occasionally I see slow-moving carts and tongas also. During the peak hours there is such a rush that it is difficult to cross the road. The pedestrians too move up and down the street. The shops are also full and the shopkeepers have business brisk.
At times I see quarrels between shopkeepers and customers. Sometimes the passersby quarrel because someone has been knocked down8 in the mad rush. On such occasions people collect in no time. Some simply watch while others try to pacify the people who are fighting.
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Just by my side sits a beggar with his begging bowl. Pedestrians pass by him. Some take pity on him and give him five paise or ten. Others abuse him for causing nuisance. The beggar is not very badly off. I have often seen him smoking and drinking at night. He is a cheat and does not deserve any charity at all.
Just on the opposite side of the road there is a betel seller. He too has a roaring trade. He deals in cigarettes of all brands. In the evening I start giving light. The whole street looks bright with additional lights in the shops. There is a rush for some time. Soon the bell rings. The shops begin to close. In half an hour the street looks deserted. There are a few wanderers here and there, going back home in a leisurely manner.
I still keep a watch. It is perfectly quiet now. At twelve there is a bit of noise again. The last show in the-cinema hall is over-and people make their way home. Once again there is peace around me.How colourful this life is! I can enjoy the spectacle, but alas! I cannot move from my place.