Stoplight: Dream Sellers
Anyway, my phone is dead. What can I do but to stare at the meaningless stoplights and weep quietly? Well, thanks to the wonderful, innovative, and relentless vendors of our streets, I can skip the weeping. They will bring me what I need the most: a power bank in the brightest of colours, which also doubles as a torch and a pen drive and has a holographic sticker stuck to the back. Score!
They do have simpler things to offer such as hopes and dreams. It doesn't matter what product they have in their hands. If it's a palm-leaf fan, they'll tell you to imagine you're the queen (who'd want to be a king! It only moves one place at a time) of the world and two delightful maidens are fanning you with that. So, obviously, just one palm-leaf fan will not do.
Then there's the whole dream of starting a family and buying plastic sifters for the times when you and ''Bhaia" make tea together. They will even give you a potholder for only half the price to go with the sifter because, you do not want to ruin such a romantic moment by burning a hand. Speaking of romantic, why does not "Bhaia" just buy all the flowers from them and give it to you! I mean, they do have a variety of flowers.
Gone are the days of plain jasmine garlands. Now, you can get night jasmine garlands too! They also have roses (red and yellow), "dolon chapa" (butterfly gingers), "kathali chapa" (tail grapes), gladiolus flowers (red, yellow, and blue), "krishnochura" (peacock flowers), kadam in the monsoon - any flower they can get by climbing the park trees as flower-peddlers are usually young vendors.
When faced with such a decision as to which flower to buy, I suggest you to go with the "dolon chapa" because it stays fresh for a long time and has an amazing fragrance but of course, that decision comes later. First, I have to get over the awkwardness of the whole situation because this "Bhaia" sitting beside me is not romantically involved with me in any way. Good luck making them believe that. You trying-to-get-away-from-buying-things-by-lying-that-you're-not-a-couple couple! Thank the stars that you're forgiven because now it's time to buy things for your children. (I don't have children! I'm only twenty! Really? OK, twenty-ONE!)
So, for the little devils, there's a light-up red horn and for the other ones, there's a bird made of sticks and plastic that flies. It's true, you throw it like a paper airplane and it flutters away. Also, that is not the only kind of bird that you can find. There's also an abundance of frogs. Plastic frogs that jump on a plastic leash, balloon frogs and cute, little frog umbrellas but why stop at frogs!
Just buy the entire animal kingdom, small plastic pack edition. You also want your children to be well read and the 5 page books of alphabets, flowers, birds, and animals should be where you put your bet. Pair them up with interesting Doraemon painted pens and pencils for best results. Also, if you're feeling generous then you can buy this extra interesting pen that doubles as a bubble blower!
Meanwhile, I'm crying because I don't see a possibility of starting a family and buying those things. Oh wait, soft towels with fancy hotel insignia!
By Afsin Ahmed
Photo: Sazzad Ibne Sayed
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