“Damn it, you broke my flower pot! #%&##!” And the day began. Mr. Chandra Bhushan Tiwari and Mr.Rama Swamy Iyar, the two neighbors used to begin their mornings in a similar way everyday. There was no such dawn for either of them when they did not raise an issue to quarrel.
These two middle class families with many others used to live in a multi-floored building better known as ‘chawl’ in Mumbai, India. In this chawl and several similar residential complexes the real Mumbai resides. Complex is the right world to identify with the kind of life they lead facing several problems and complications.
Coming back to Tiwari-Iyar story, they were the biggest enemy for each other. One can find same kind of one man armies of ‘kauravas’ and ‘pandavas’ in different houses there. On a new fresh morning Mr. Iyar was spreading his wet loongi on a wire stretched in front of his house. As soon as he tried to unwrinkle his clothe, the loongi hit Mr. Tiwari’s flowerpot and the pot fell down. It was the only plant of his house, apart from tulsi. For him one was a plant and two was a garden. Someone wiped out his garden. Although the rose plant was of no use, because whenever a bud changed to a beautiful rose, it was being plucked and placed on the door of a lady living on the next floor alone. Her name was Mira. He used to shout at the chawl children standing on the gallery, and the children in return teased him by saying “kyon uncle phir gulab Mira aunty ko de diya” means Uncle, have you again given the flower to Mira aunty?"
Mira was a middle aged woman. She lived alone. Owning a beauty parlor in the society itself made her a popular figure there. She was a mobile advertisement for her parlor as she was always fresh and loaded with make-up. Mr. Tiwari did not like this lady and was very orthodox. He even did not want his wife to visit the Mira Parlor, and for her daughter he thought it was hell. Along with the Tiwari family also lived two Jr. Tiwaris, his two sons. All three of his children were in collage.
With Mr. Iyar the case was different. He used to admire Mira Madam (as she was popularly known) a lot. He lived with his son, who was working with an insurance company. Mr. Iyar was manager at an Indian based tourism company. His wife was no more and he was a widower for last 6 years. The whole society knew that he was in love with Mira Madam, but no one dared to comment him, because his son had connections with the so-called dada (rowdy) of the area.
Another day started with Mr. Tiwari standing in the row for entering the bathroom, best place he every chawl person thought for getting away from day-to-day problems, Mr. Iyar was busy inside solving his own tensions. Everyone waiting outside was yelling, “abe madrasi so gaya kya” that meant “Hey! The Man from Madras, are u asleep? In this whole scene Tiwari ji, as he was addressed in the society, was very happy, because everyone was angry on Iyar. After 20 long awaited minutes, Iyar was standing outside, with a smile on his face, as if he just had just conquered a fort. Ignoring what everyone was saying, he came next to Tiwari ji, stopped for few seconds, gave him a proudy look, shrugged his shoulder and moved away like a drunken elephant.
Tiwari got irritated, so much that he wished he can sit for the whole day inside the bemired, smelly and mushy toilet like he is sitting in a park, keeping Iyar waiting outside troubled and knocking the door. He was lost in his thoughts and his number came to enter the botanica of his dreams. By the time he was free from the loo, his anger had subsided. But he was planning to take revenge some how.
Every morning, Iyar delivered his prayers for 1 hour. That is why he tried to finish his morning courses by 9 A.M. so that he can devote his next 1 hour to God. Tiwari had a plan. He went back, broke a jar of a neighbor, that was kept in the gallery and started moving back to his house. This neighbor lived next to Iyar. The owner of the jar, a fat lady, wife of Mr. Dandekar came outside with the balen in her hand, and started screaming at Mr. Tiwari standing in front of Iyar’s door.
The plan was successful. Tiwari felt victorious. The more the lady shouted, the more enjoyment of Tiwari rised. He was no less and just to irritate Iyar he was replying back to the lady in the same tone. Now all he was waiting for was Iyar to come out. After 10 minutes, when Iyar gave up his fight for concentrating on his prayers, and the bawling outside was more audible than his chants, he opened the door gasping who is making the belligerent nonsense there. He found his best enemy and a neighbor happily cracking on each other. Tiwari looked at him, gave a badgering smile, remained quite for a moment, said sorry to Mrs. Dandekar and went inside his house like an innocent cow. Iyar was pestered to the peak and the only thing he wanted to do that moment was to go and break a similar jar on Tiwari’s head, and come back.
The days passed with similar knick-knacks. Three months after, Iyar had to go for few months to his mother as his father expired. Tiwari was happy. Not for the incident, but for the absence of Iyar from the chawl for sometime.
Now every morning he woke up early, went to the loo before 9, took out a chair and sat in front of his house, in the gallery reading newspaper, as if the whole chawl belonged to him, and he was a happy and satisfied owner. About half-a-month passed, and Tiwari was quieter. He had no unwanted talks with the neighbors and no scolding of children. He quietly went to his office without saying a word or warning his wife for not going to the Mira Parlor. Even he did not shout on the children who again plucked his rose and placed it in front of Mira’s house. Instead, he went to her house, knocked the door and said sorry for the incident, mentioning that it’s the little children and their small pranks. Even Mira was surprised, because she had never seen Tiwari ji so polite. She was wondering if anything has gone wrong in his house. Previously when the children used to play such pranks with him, he used to come to Mira’s door, take the flower and throw it in the dustbin.
He, himself was surprised by his behavior. He knew the reason but was not able to accept it. He thought it was impossible. The world can shrink, the sun can stop rising, but this cannot be the reason. He always asked himself “I am missing Iyar? And then himself answered the question, “This is not possible.” Even his wife could make out the reason, and was taunting him one day. “Aha! So you are missing your dear enemy Iyar right.” Tiwari got angry, banged his door and went to the terrace.
But, it was true, he was missing Iyar indeed. He gave up his ego and accepted the fact. After Iyar went, he used to give a snoopy look to Iyar’s door every morning and evening and wondered when he was returning. But now he started asking thy neighbors about his come back date and wellness of Iyar’s family. Once even he asked Iyar’s son about his father. Jr. Iyar was shocked to the core. He somehow managed to tell Tiwari about his father’s returning date, and astonishingly watched Tiwariji walking away quietly.
Three months passed, Iyar came back, as soon as his son opened the door, the first question he asked was about Tiwariji. He wanted to know from his son whether Tiwariji tried to annoy him in his absence. The answer was simple no. Iyar was in the same mood as he left the chawl three months back, and was looking for ways to restart the match. Once again in the loo queue, Iyar came out of the toilet after a long time, and gave Tiwariji a bugging look. What happened next was unbelievable for Iyar. He was not so much surprised even when the Indian government completed its five years smoothly, nor even when his 12th passed son got the job of manager with a good company. It was an act, for which he wished he had a video recording where he can demand for a replay to believe it. It was so unrealistic for him to get a smile from Tiwariji, and that too after an incident where he tried to beleaguer him. He gave a quizzical look to Tiwari and walked away wondering about what had just taken place. On the way back home he even pinched himself to find out whether he was awake.
The days were going, Tiwari was quite and gentle, and Iyar was confused. He was not able to take this anymore and somehow managed to handover a slip to Mr. Tiwari that mentioned about their secret meeting on the terrace that night after everyone was asleep.
Iyar reached the terrace at 11 p.m. and stood there perplexed and amazed. After 30 minutes Tiwari came and asked Iyar very politely and smilingly about the matter. Iyar quickly questioned Tiwari keeping a very inquisitive look on his face “Why are you doing this to me.” Tiwari innocently questioned back about what was he doing? Rather he said he was doing nothing. “That’s it. Why aren’t you doing anything against me?” was the next loud question fired at Tiwari. Tiwari kept smiling and Iyar was more confused for what he was saying, he himself did not understand. Tiwariji said nothing, and gave a note to Iyar and went back. The note said “Can we be friends?”
The whole night Iyar could not sleep. He was thinking “Is this possible?” The world can shrink, the sun can stop rising, but this cannot happen. After a long confused and thoughtful night, he rose from his bed in the morning, opened the door and shouted in his full voice. “Tiwari come outside.” Tiwariji came and stood wondering what has happened. Along with this many other came out to enjoy a yet new episode of Tiwari-Iyar after a long gap. But now was the time for them to get confused. Iyar said “Yes we will be friends.”
The two old friends hugged each other, and realized that they were always there for each other but never realized.
