The Gulabjamun burger

There is a time in everybody's life when he/she yearns for a little more money than what he/she possesses at that moment. For the majority, the yearning continues from the childhood till their last breath. Last weekend while eating burger at a restaurant near my place, i was as-usual complaining about the stale burger which was very neatly wrapped, placed in a clean plate in front of me. After staring at the burger for a minute and realizing that no one was going to come for my rescue, i took the first bite of that tasteless burger (wrapper said it was meant to be a spicy burger). Hurriedly i pour down half a glass of soda (soda means cold drinks in US) down my throat to get some relief from munching those bread crumbs. I took a short break before i could continue eating it again. My mind took me back to the childhood days. Whenever i think of my childhood, i always portrait myself playing in a grass field under the scorching heat of wild sun. No matter how gloomy or dark it is outside, the first impression of my own childhood remains the same.

While thinking of my childhood, my mind took me back to those wonderful school days in winters. In every break before the next class, we rushed to the playground to enjoy the warmth of sun holding few pennies in our hands. Hands tucked tightly inside the pockets and eyes staring at the canteen stall in the open playground. That canteen stall was also a reason to rush from the class as quickly as possible, so that we could buy delicious burgers for cheap. One would ask how cheap was it? I still remember very vividly those days when i could get a burger with a "Gulabjamun" sandwiched inside it just for two rupees. With the amount of pocket money i used to get during those days, i could afford to eat that burger once in a week. That special day, when i could eat the delicious burger and treat myself as a king, was always so much awaited.

The day would start nothing less than a dramatic climax. While packing my bag in the morning, i always used to tell my mom not to put too much food in my lunch-box because i would be too lazy to finish my lunch after eating the Gulabjamun burger. Giving minimum attention to what was taught in the class, my eyes were glued to the wall clock hanging just above the door. Those thirty minutes were the hardest when i used to wait for the lunch break to happen, holding the two coins in my tightly closed fists. I could wait there forever with so many thoughts running in my mind. Many times i was caught by my teacher for not paying enough attention to what was taught in class, but it could never shake my determination to stop imagining that wonderful feeling when i would own the delicious burger. As soon as the bell rang, the legs automatically cruised towards the canteen stall hiding the hands in the pockets from the chilled winter. Watching the poor guy wrapped in a pair of torn clothes at the stall used to bring such a delight to the eyes. The thought of opening up a same stall crossed my mind so many times, but luckily i never managed to gather the courage to speak out the plans to my parents.

Money and the Gulabjamun burger exchanged hands very quickly and soon enough i was at top of the world. Standing and enjoying every bite of the burger, i never bothered about the sweet drops of Gulabjamun dripping down from the burger on my white uniform shirt. Those ten minutes standing in the sun made my day. Those ten minutes summed up the value of money in my life at that time. The ten minutes were spent once in a week coming out of the mundane studies. My sympathies were always with the poor guy standing in the chilling winter, yet he never ate a burger himself. I considered him a guy possessing reasonable marketing skills. He used to sell the same burger with two Gulabjamun clubbed inside for three rupees. He was an expert in convincing the rich and fat kids to eat the super size burger. I always wondered when that day would come in my life when i could also afford this super size burger with two Gulabjamun. There were times when i split the cost of one burger with my friend, so that we both could enjoy our half burger. Many times spotting a friend in ground standing alone left me with no other option but to share my burger. The burger never seemed to be sumptuous meal, but i always relished every bite of it. I used to eat nothing after the burger before lunch, so that i could enjoy the sweetness of gulabjamun in my mouth for a long time. One week was indeed a perfect time to grow my profound taste for burger once again. The affair continued

While sitting in this not-so-elegant restaurant, I missed that appetite for the burger. The burger resting in the plate was waiting to be eaten by someone. I had no other option but to eat the stale burger. My heart felt the sadness seizing it. I felt bad for not being able to enjoy the burger at this moment, when i can actually afford it. I thought of transferring some dollars from my present to my past. I wish i had few more pennies every month in school, i would have loved to eat the super size burger with two Gulabjamun inside it. I imagined how it would feel to eat standing in middle of a school playground and being the center of attraction for everyone.  Alas, everything has changed with time. The combination was perfect with scarce resources to meet up with abundant demands, yet everybody was content. Before i could have the luxury to eat the super size burger with the addition of few more pennies in my pocket money, the poor guy left the school and also left so many hearts longing wishfully for the Gulabjamun burgers.