The Vada Pau King

I wake to the rumble of approaching bellies
As the city whirrs to a start. I set up shop.
Not a minute to kill, not a moment to scroll
Cut chop smash, and drizzle
I fire up the coals
I mix potatoes, chili, garlic, salt
And pound it into patties
The oil comes to a boil and begins to spit verses
It beatboxes to the tune of half a million souls
Squeezing into ten rail carriages
Half a million mouths water
As soon as spud meets boiling oil
And half a million subjects gather
To crown me the vada pau king
The coins fill up my bowl
And the patty sizzles
And I slip into my daydream
This is what I see:
Bombay becoming Mumbai
Mumbai rises up in front of my eyes
Mumbai, a city made from two building blocks
Vada and pau
I can see it now,
I will take over this whole town
With patty and bun
Stacked tall and served cheap
I will build skyscrapers
I will be the king of this town
I will build bridges out of vada pau
Vada pau vada pau
Hop skip jump and you’ve crossed the Mahim bay
Every day when the bridge collapses into the sea
I will bake another
I will defend my kingdom with forts of pillowy bread
I will make carriageways of carbs
I will fry porticos of patties
And I will sleep with a belly full
On a bouncy bed of bread
I smell gold, and that’s when I know the vada is ready
I scoop it out of the oil and wedge it between the bread
But wait, what’s that?
Arches of gold, behold
My heart misses a beat
I see the new McDonalds
On my street
And suddenly the coins vanish from my bowl
My kingdom turns to dust
No takers, not one. I’m bust.
I throw the bun to a dog in the street
And even he turns up his nose
This blows. I suppose that I
am sandwiched now
Wedged in between my dreams
And schemes.
I pack up my stall and when night falls
I toss and turn, and this time a reverie
Comes to me, a memory
Breaks my sleep. In it I see a hungry boy
He searches streets for food, for joy
He has no parents, he has no kin
He lives with grief, a violin
Plays inside him, it gives him peace
Listen to it, it will not cease

At the station at Dadar West
The dreamers stream in, they are dressed
The masked ball will recommence
In present past and future tense
The carousel of commuters gray
Sewn into costumes, this grand display
What a life, what a place
It was an honour, I am disgraced
Will anyone here stop the music to see
The vada pau king, his destiny
Will they remember the gold he spun
The dreams he dreamed, the battles he won
Will anyone stop to see the king fall
Will they all recall his hole in the wall
You dreamers don’t you see the night
It ends at dawn, it ends with light
Think of me one day alone
Remember me on my plastic throne
And when it's time, don’t hesitate
The vada pau king will abdicate.