Balloon man

As kids we would see them on the roads. The balloon men. Holding an improbable number of balloons - some in the most amazing shapes - like monkeys and flowers. The cost was always the barrier - but it didn't stop us from looking - and looking pleadingly at our parents.

They still walk the streets - but we seem to see less of them (are we less on the streets?). The man above is walking a lonely road in Afghanistan - far from the hustle and bustle of Mumbai / Thane.

At the end of the day - what do the balloon men do? When 11 PM comes and no one is on the streets anymore. Do they deflate their wares? Do they count the increments of 3 and 5 rupees they have received over the evening? Do they eat some street food or trudge to their little holes-in-the-wall for their plate of rice and dal? Do they buy a packet of country hooch in a plastic bag?

There is a lot of colour and a lot of drudgery in this fallen world of ours.