The station smelled like boiled potatoes, before it has been smothered in butter, pepper and salt. Also the sudden urge to eat a boiled egg was overwhelming Somnath. It was a decidedly weird feeling.
Also slightly funny in retrospect!
Although Somnath had left home about three hours ago, it had been on a full stomach of rice, ghee, fish fry and dal, courtsey Mitro Mashima from the flat below. He was not, should not be hungry. Was he?
Pushing aside thoughts of food, Somnath stepped into the swarm of people trying to wade out of the metro station. As he got jostled by the crowd towards the exit, Somnath thought of the mutton roll he had had yesterday at Robi's Chops 'n Rolls. Spicy with a hint of tangyness, he thought as his mouth started to salivate.
And then again the desire to pop an entire boiled egg came to his mind. "Weird," Somnath thought aloud, which brought a dirty stare from the pretty young thing, talking on her BlackBerry, as she hurried past.
Somnath had not had eggs for the past three days. Friday had been Shiva pujo so all vegetarian, Saturdays was always a strictly veg day and on Sunday when Somnath had gone to get eggs from Bancha’s shop he had found it closed. Bancha’s eldest was not well, so he had taken the kid to the doctor and would not open the shop that day.
Today being Monday and Somnath had to leave home early, before shops opened, so he had not been able to buy any eggs.
Boiled eggs, boiled potatoes mashed with chillies and a little shorshe tel, rice and ghee. This was Somnath’s favourite meal and most days he had the same menu for dinner, which he prepared himself on the small stove kept over the old study table, near the window.
'Pickels,' sniffed Somnath. Aloo paratha, paneer bhurji, bread jam, karela-begun, biryani, the smells overpowered Sonmath's olfactory senses, as office-goers streamed from various metro coaches armed with tiffin-boxes and a determination to hold fort till the clock struck lunch hour. He could, however, not detect any boiled eggs. Such was fate!
Somnath felt depressed. Life was a huge burden he no longer wanted to carry, specially without the company of eggs, boiled or otherwise.
He dragged leg over feet to reach his office and plopped himself behind the desk.
'Nomoskar dada, cha-coffee,' asked the office boy. 'Na,' said a dejected Somnath, which was surprising for Rogho, the office-boy, as Somnath was constantly ordering cha-coffee!
The next three hours were spent in checking emails and facebook updates, as Somnath waited for lunch hour. However, when the clock struck 1, his mood did not lift. All the restaurants around his office were 'strictly vegetarian' and for once Somnath did not have the heart to eat unless there was some omelete!
Arijit, Shudeep and Shankar joined Mukherji-da at his table for the usual lunch and adda. 'Aie, Somnath wouldn't you eat," asked Mukherji-da.
Somnath recultantly walked across to the gathering. 'Have not ordered today,' he said. 'That's alright we have enough,'said Shankar as they all started to open their tiffin boxes.
Somnath was least interested in the contents of those boxes, but as each lid was lifted the smells made him curious to take a peak inside.
Deviled-egg, egg-curry, egg-biryani and even egg bhurji. Somnath could not utter another word, but the satisfied smile on his lips and the twinkle in his eyes said it all.
