Scoop of Life Part 6

Part 6
Kilokri Village
Near Malviya Nagar
3rd January 2011
Noonish
Radhika: Kitne saare UP ke files the, Govt aur NGO ke, resources, infrastructure, land quality statistics wagairah.......... Abhi kisi ko Lucknow bhejna padega? Ya Kanpur? Kahan se milenege yeh files, mujhe jaana hai waha, main kab research karoongi? Calculations karne hain, woh alag....... Aaj main late aayi but kal se 8 baje yaha rahoongi
She speaks NON STOP!
Poonam looks on flabbergasted, she has never worked with "Radhika ji" before as "Radhikaji had been working at the Clean Water Initiative Head Office in East of Kailash.
Clean Water Initiative is a NGO focussed on getting access to the resource in remote villages in India. From building water infrastructure, developing ways and means of water conservation to actively encouraging reforestation efforts. Efforts included assisting helping with making land more "cultivable", increase its ability to intercept and accept moisture. Funded my many prominent Dutch and US charities and philanthropists, the company is over a decade old but they had success stories in multiples of 10.......
Poonam: Woh! (stops)
Radhika is still rambling and looking, her chai arrives, Umesh has a sheepish "Dont ask me anything look"
radhika pauses to take her chai, gulps, makes a face and yet drinks it......... her phone rings under the pile of papers........ she pushes most of it down to the floor in an attempt to answer it. But it goes to voice mail.......
Poonam: Woh! Maam East of Kailash mein poochhen?
Radhika: KAL main wahan thi aur waha jitne UP ke files hain unme se koi hamare matlab ka hai nai... (and then starts to talk rapidly)'
Poonam's jaw drops wonders HOW she can talk so much......
She tries to sneak in a word or two every two seconds but fails, Radhika's rambling, her passionate rant make it awfully difficult..........

Radhika: Main East of Kailash jaakar khud laati hoon, (gets up and gulps the burning hot hot water masquerading as chai.)
Poonam: Main chaloon? (fearful, its going to start another two hour spiel)
Radhika: Nahi, aap Dehat Kanpur aur Jalaun ke maps nikalo aur Municipalities aur DM offices ke addresses mere liye ready rakho
Before she can ramble, Poonam vamooses
Umesh: Maam ek aur chai?
Radhika: Thanks, nahi......... yeh saare files tum baandhkar bahar tak lao, main auto lekar aati hoon
Umesh nods.......
She goes off to get an auto......... does not haggle just agrees to the 150 the guy asks for, Umesh loads the files, while she gives some last minute instructions to Poonam
The other employees look at her speaking, amused by the rapid fire style.........
A couple of men stare admiringly at her blouse........
She clumsily climbs in to the auto, and yells a "Chalo bhayya" shrilly
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Golf Links
3rd January 2011
Kapoors
C Block
Central Golf Links Road
Dadi: I just need some warm water with a dash of lemon and honey beta
Mridula Kapoor Mom, this is something i read on the web this morning
Dadi shakes her head in despair
Dadji: Try it Komal
Dadi: I am afraid to
Dadaji: Your bahu is going to be offended
Mridula: Dad.........
Dadaji:I was kidding beta
They are sitting out the huge Tuscan oak dining table in the ground floor......... the upper levels altogether had over 8 bedrooms and study spread over thhree floors, there was huge terrace garden with swings and a "walking path" as Dadi fondly described it. The house was bought by Dadaji over 40 years ago when his sons were in college, they lived in Panchsheel Park until then
Now Krishan lived her with his wife Mridula and Raghav and his two daughters
His older brother Pavan lived two blocks down in F, in his own house
His wife was a renowned pediatrician and he has two sons and a daughter, Ateendar, Anuttam and Anvita
Mridula: Will you be able to go to Bhayya's? tonite?
Dadi: I dont think so, ask Prakash to make something for me
Mridula looks worried.... none of her gourmet cooking skills or home remedies were working..........
She was a fabulous cook, some trained, some self taught, had half a dozen cook books to her credit, conducted shows, classes and was considering her own brand of  ready to eat packaged food at this time
Dadaji: Is Raghav home?
Mridula: Nahi Dad, he went to work
Dadaji is stunned "Kahan? Connaught Place?"
Mridula: Yes.......
Dadaji smiles "Is he serious now?"
Mridula: I dont think so........ woh bus yoon hi Krishan ko pareshaan karne kabhi chala jaata hai
Dadi: Mujhe uski bahut chinta hai (gulping her tepid water)
Dadaji: Ati aur Anu to Yavatmal gaye hai na?
Mridu: Hmmm they are back tonite, I am told
Dadaji turns on the TV and starts watching news
Dadi: Talk to Raghav beta
Mridu: WE all do Ma, HE doesnt..... thats the problem
Dadi: Shud I talk Krishan into setting some IT thing up for him?
Mridu: He wont agree to anything.......
Dadi: May be he should do off beat cinema
Dadaji guffaws "Do we really need another KAPOOR in Hindi cinema?"
Dadi: He can out run all of them (smug)
Mridula watches a koel and a swallow fight for a spot on the tree outside.......
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Outer Ring Road
Lajpat Nagar
2:34 PM
Radhika was carrying three boxes of files in her auto. The auto was rickety and ready to break down at every traffic signal, this was another one, near Lady Shriram College, she wrapped her magenta scarf around her ears and head, the driver slanted his neck to look at the open neckline of her blouse
"Aap light ko dekhiye" she yells
A portion of her long silky scarf is carried by January winds............ the light takes forever, she scans the 200 plus friends on her phone list........ checks her texts and responds to a few..... the light turns green....... the auto wallah holds teh break and yanks, once, twice, thrice, four times?
Mmmm...hmmmm nope!
She steps off the auto and starts yelling hurriedly, people honk behind her, she jumps up on the median and looks around... the auto is still not budging........
A Toyota Sequoia slides past in the opposite direction,  a man wearing red white and blue check shirt had just slid the window down..... a crack..........
A tall curvaceous gal was agitated......
He slides the window down further..... traffic is moving slow..........
"Mujhe Malviya Nagar chhodiye aap" she says and goes on to tell the auto wallah how important her work is, her life is and the mission of her company is.......... how important it is to mankind and to the planet
The man riding the Sequoia smirks..... as he admires the mass of curls every where on her shoulders, the dark pink scarf reaches and almost touches the shiny silver metal of the Sequoia.......