The Chair

India and its jugaads.

Photo taken by the author on her morning jog

I don’t follow a routine. I can’t.

No matter how many times I think that yes, I’ll go on the morning jog at the same time tomorrow, I don’t.

I don’t read newspapers daily, I used to but not anymore. Nowadays, all the important news seems to come from our phones — Instagram, to be precise.

However at the start of this month, with the upcoming Lok Sabha Elections in India, I decided to read an actual newspaper and be a part of the informed community.

The morning routine goes something like this: wake up as soon as you can, usually around 7:30 AM, freshen up, head out for a jog, and snag the newspaper on your way back.

Although I enjoy it, it happens only 2–3 times a week.

This morning, as I was jogging and turning towards the newspaper vendor, sitting sideways on the road, I saw this man in full-on driving mode on his scooter, a chair tied up on its back suddenly stopped in front of me. I quickly tried to capture this moment before he drove away.

I couldn’t figure out what that chair was about. Maybe he was taking it to fix it, throw it away, or to his workplace or somewhere they need a chair.

It reminded me of my university days when the library became packed with students during exams…