CAFETERIA

Human life was lost. 
Some say it was providence, some say it was an accident.
I see it as murder. 
It was murder!!
I was a forced accomplice to the murder.

             

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It was 1980.

The college cafeteria!! 

My life had been a continuous rotation. 

While I diligently worked my butt around, I always had a birds-eye view of the happenings.

Andrews College in Bombay was a historic college welcoming newbies after they passed the SSC exams. Located opposite the beach of Bombay it had a panoramic view of the Arabian Sea.

The stone-walled buildings were Gothic-styled and housed all three faculties of Arts, Science and Commerce.

Students moved on after their Higher School curriculum or stuck around to complete their bachelor degrees. 

As facilities were there for the post-graduation courses some students also continued their studies and acquired their Masters in these buildings. 

Adjoining these age-old buildings, also styled in Gothic, to match the original architecture, was a new two storeys addition. This housed the Maths and English departments on the first and second floor. The ground floor of this building housed the cafeteria.

Year after year this became a meeting place for the buzz of students enjoying their ‘cutting chai’, cold drinks, snacks, or meals. It was also an ‘adda’ for some students who attended college more for the non-educational presence than for their scholastic pursuits.

This was a vast brightly painted, well lit, airy space of recreation activity and humdrum. A huge wall clock helped the students keep an eye on the time. To help, in an aural alert, an electric bell was also fitted to ring, alerting lecture and period changes. 

Subcontracted to an Udipi caterer, subsidized vegetarian meals were provided to the students. The caterer, Mr Rama Shetty, was very generous in the fayre he provided at this cafeteria  This reflected in the quality of food, portion size and the modest prices charged.  On one end of the room was a counter which adjoined the busy kitchen. Cash counter seating a cashier was housed here. 

One could walk up to the counter order, pay, pick up the drinks or food and go to your table.

Along with the cafeteria-style, service Shetty had also introduced table service. A few Gandhi capped, uniformed servers waited on the groups of students as they thronged the cafeteria for their meals.

He had tastefully decorated the space to provide a heartwarming atmosphere for  the students. The wall was adorned with modern art paintings. Brightly coloured chairs adorned the dining space around sunmica topped tables. Unlike other college cafeterias, the feel was very modern for its time and felt more like a fast-food restaurant rather than a canteen. Huge windows all around added to the feeling of the room being airy and well lit. The clean and tidy ambience enhanced the dining experience of the students. 

The lunch break had the area packed.

Blaring Bollywood songs floated from the radio cassette player on the cafeteria cash counter. The noisy hub of the students however overpowered the musical decibels. It was euphoria with so much activity happening in the space.

Groups of students sat huddled on chairs around the tables. Discussions ranged from history, geography, science and anything under the sun. Some were from study topics, lecturers mannerisms and co-students gossips. Many a life was examined under fantasy microscopes here. 

Before exams, this became a place for discussions and consultations and post results it was a venue for celebrations. Hearts were spilt out and overflowing of the Ganges, from students who failed,were also conducted here. Accompanied by morale-boosting by other friends it was a sight to see.

Throughout the year groups ranging from only boys, only girls and mixed-sex groups dined in this area.

Apart from groups some were loners who sat alone, had a quick quiet meal and a hasty departure. These were termed as the modern college Einstein’s.

There were the occasional lovey doves who came as a ‘Vasu and Sapna’ pair to quest their hunger needs. There were nooks and corners in the college to provide them solace for their romantic activity and drama but some bold couples glaringly exhibited them in the cafeteria. 

Food was plenty and the whole space emanated aromas. South Indian and Punjabi fare was as quickly produced and dispensed at the same speed as the Fast food was dished out.

Burgers, pizza’s and sandwiches were popular with the gen.

However traditional local dishes usal, misal, vada pao, samosa and bhajiyas also were high sellers.

Ordering puri bhaji, an aromatic subzi served with fluffed up puris, gave visuals of golden brown UFO’s flying around the room. Small plates loaded with coconut chutney, mango pickle, onion slices and lemon wedges accompanied this combination. 

Trying to dodge the sometimes unruly students, some waiters carefully transported their loaded trays of dosas accompanied by sambhar and chutney as they glided towards the tables. 

Also on the menu was a grand Thali, which had the full monty. This had three subzi’s, pulao, yoghurt, puri and dessert in a huge steel compartmentalised platter with unlimited top-ups.  Strict instructions to those who choose it was -- No Sharing Allowed!!

One corner housed a small hand wash basin. It had attached on the wall, a steel tilting-over soap dispenser. A towel hung on a towel rail nearby. A mirror was housed above the sink with a message plate boldly enquiring,’Are you Amitabh Bachchan? Yes, you are Amitabh Bachchan but do not comb your hair here!’ 

 

Tables were squeaky clean achieved by a team of elves each with a soapy water spray gun, a folded cloth and a tray for dirties clearance.  The tiled floors of the cafeteria were regularly mopped with a fragrant floor cleaner which also had a slight hint of phenyl emanating in the backdrop.

Each table had salt and pepper cruet sets, red plastic squeeze bottles of pumpkin tomato ketchup, a tumbler housing paper napkins and another tumbler stocked with stainless steel cutlery as a standard layout.

Depending on meals time canteen boys were busy serving different types of food and drinks to the various tables.

Cutting chai was a popular all-time favourite as was fresh lime soda and soda-lemon ‘maramari’ (which was a refreshing blend of lemonade and soda) to beat out the summer heat.    

Three well spaced huge whirring ceiling fans worked overtime to try and cool the Bombay heat and humidity. 

I worked hard throughout the service period and saw the happenings in this cafeteria from my perch.

The good, the bad and the ugly. 

                 ----------////----------

Bhimsen Rao was a part of the bad and the ugly.

Nephew of a corrupt politician, he threw his weight around the campus. Having failed twice in each year of the eleventh and twelfth standard he was now in First-year Bachelor of Arts while his batch mates who joined the college with him were two years ahead. His attendance in lecture classrooms was less than the time he spent in the cafeteria.

His unofficial office was a table in the corner of the cafeteria which was open from 9 am to 6 pm 

Diligent Students normally stayed away from this corner and avoided clashing his path.    

He was a thug and assumed the role of King. He tinkered occasionally in secretly getting in and supplying mild narcotics to his friend. 

He had been warned for discipline many times but managed to spring back due to his uncle's influence.  

Glaring sunglasses, propped up on his Brylcreem hippy hair, he rode on his loud Yamaha into the college campus. The aural sound of the ‘ vroom vroom’ preceded his obnoxious entry into the campus.

Due to halfway unbuttoning of his shirt, his talcum powdered hairy chest was on display all the time. Bell-bottomed with silk shirts, he wore a fat golden khada to proclaim his dominance. 

I observed that he always parked his bike in a reserved space adjoining the cafeteria.

The campus politics attracted him more than his interest in the political curriculum of his studies. He was deeply involved in the  College and University elections.

He never stood for the post himself but propped up his cronies.

His act of strong arm twisting resulted in his candidate winning unchallenged most of the times. It was during one such election that this incident took place.  

It was a fight for Class Representative (CR),

Ram Khatri, the candidate he supported, was being opposed by a very popular and loved student, Firoze Kathawalla, in the Election Programme for College Students’ Council.

All chances were that, if contested, Firoze would win the seat with a romping majority.

It was the last day for filing nominations and today was the deadline to try and coerce him to withdraw.

It was 9 am and most lectures were on campus. Firoze was with two of his friends in the open grounds near the cafeteria.

The whole place was generally deserted because of students being in their classrooms.  

The ’vroom vroom’ sound alerted them that Bhimsen was entering the campus.  

As Bhimsen and his accompanying friend Ram parked the bike, Firoze and his friend entered the just opened cafeteria.

The bully following them barged in with his crony. The only staff present was a young cleaner boy. As it had just been opened up the cleaner boy was mopping up the floor. The tube light and ceiling fans were off.  The only sound of activity was a Mukesh song  ‘Jeena Yahan Marna yahan’ soulfully playing out from the radio. 

Bhimsen accosted Firoze asking him to withdraw his nomination papers.

The verbal arguments were steaming and all four started hurling abuse and counter abuse to each other.

The frightened little cleaner boy sensed trouble. Throwing the mop on the floor he sprinted out of the cafeteria in a jiffy.

The heated tirade was on.  Bhimsen was ferocious. He threatened Firoze with bodily harm. Opening a bag that was slung across his chest he pulled out a heavy shining steel cleaver and shove it towards Firoze and his friend.

Suddenly they noticed some activity and through a window saw the Principal along with the little boy approaching the cafeteria.

Bhimsen quickly passed the cleaver to Ram Khatri and pointed towards me.

I was standing frozen not moving at all.

Ram Khatri quickly climbed the sunmica table and placed the cleaver on one of my open arms. I could not react.

He jumped down from the table just as the Principal and the little boy rushed into the cafeteria.

A session of explaining, arguing and counterarguing resumed with each side trying to prove their innocence to the Principal. Oblivious to my presence they were all standing below me.

I stood tightlipped even though I knew the truth and had hard-hitting evidence, against the thugs, in my hands.

As the arguments got steamed up the little cleaner boy moved towards the panel of switches on the wall.

Before I could say Jack Robinson, his hand moved towards the switch that said, ’FAN NO 3’ and flicked it on.

I started whirring with a slight wobble due to the cleaver in one arm.

In an instance, unseen by the bystanders below, the shining heavy cleaver left my arm and hurtled down. It hit Ram Khatri on his head. The weight of the weapon and the force of gravity played their part. His skull was cracked open by the sharp edge of the chopper. 

Death came instantaneously and he had breathed his last even before he had buckled and slumped to the floor. 

Agape, I just moved in slow rotations taking in the unfolding of these events 

Bhimsen was arrested for murder and sentenced to jail.

He is spending time in Yerwada jail, as the term goes, ‘chakki peesing and peesing’.

                ----------////----------

My life is also in a continuous rotation. 

I am also going round and round in this cafeteria.

My memory goes back to Mukesh’s song during the incident. ‘Jeena Yahan Marna Yahan, Iske Siva Jaana Kahan’ 

Is it Karma? 

Maybe Yes! 

Maybe No!

Image credit --- Internet.