Sacred space

Every morning, on my way to work, I see this physically challenged guy who sits on the Goregaon railway station bridge selling ballpoint pens out of a briefcase. He also has a slight problem with communication and is not always coherent. Yesterday, he was still making his way upstairs when he saw an old lady perched on his spot to beg, and he started yelling at her to get out of there. This was obviously his 'space', and she wasn't a regular.

Watching that moment unfold, I realised how 'space' is such an important concept to humans. We crave physical, mental, or spiritual space at various times in life. 

Fighting for space? Clicked at KGAF 2010

In the chaos we call Mumbai, there's always someone asking you to "shift" your butt to squeeze themselves onto that non-existent "fourth" seat in a packed train compartment. We spend all of our hard-earned monies on EMIs for a home loan that buy us matchbox-size dwellings. Our footpaths are encroached upon illegally by stores and local businesses and used like they own that space. Pedestrians try crossing roads with a wave of their hand towards oncoming cars and find their own space in traffic.

Crazy, isn't it?

Personally, I've always wanted my own physical space. So that my books and things that I've collected over the years find a home without competing with other family members. So that my thoughts find the quiet and serenity which is so lacking in my life right now. I'm also quite independent in my thinking, and am not a fan of following the herd. My mental/intellectual space therefore becomes very important to me. Almost sacred. 

#ABC POSTCARD 08/31