Peanuts.

I'm not talking about the cartoon character Charlie Brown. Nor am I referring to roasted peanuts, which are usually sold in small packets. I'm partial to ones that are sold on roadsides and perhaps the ones which are (these days) nicely packed in plastic and made available in shops. A muffaliwala Stand is in itself an interesting thing to observe, either from distance or close up. This rickety stand displays an assortment of edibles, all of which are stashed together in a manner to give the Stand a full look. The towering lantern standing amidst adds to that look, while serving the purpose of illuminating everything with its characteristic yellow light. A set of rusted old balances forms a critical part of this all; a little show of balancing the weights and the packet is done, although - in most cases, anyway - nobody cares whether the two balanced each other or even if the right weights were used. All that matters is that the packet should look nice and fat and that the peanuts inside should be worth the money spent. The four ugly wheels that act as the Stand's foundation often go unnoticed as the person hurriedly moves away with the packet stashed in one hand, just itching to crack open the peanuts and gorge on the little things (commonly known as muffalis to us Indians) that lie inside - like a polar bear may lie in its snowy den during hibernation. While on foot, unavailability of a pocket big enough to hold the packet or of a detachable third hand, can make it rather pestering to crack open the peanuts and toss what's inside into one's mouth. Therefore, I only get to enjoy my peanuts while sitting (or lying on the bed, as might be the case) with a bowl - preferably a plate - full of muffalis yet to be eaten. Within 10 minutes, not a single un-cracked one is to be found in the forest of peanut covers; thus making me refill the plate with handfuls from the big fat paper bag, which, after a while, doesn't remain as big and fat any more.

-| AG.