A Hope and a prayer
It was a walk like the many I had taken before. Small congested roads with shops selling different kinds of merchandise lined up on either side. After every few meters, the row of shops would be breached by a narrow alley which would in most cases be deserted. Hordes of people meandered on the footpath stopping ever so often to avoid someone or to have a second glance at something that had caught their fancy. There was the eager salesman enticing the passers-by to his eatery or to his shop selling an original fake of a popular logo. The small roads carried a heavy bumper to bumper traffic which was not very unusual even for a weekend. With twilight nearing, the street lights and the neon hoardings were also taking effect. A heavy unseasonal downpour seemed to add to the chaos as the open umbrellas were another reason for people to break their stride. This scene could be reminiscent of any street in the old parts of an Indian city and so it may come as a surprise that I was actually wa...