A charming roadside snack stall was standing amidst slanting hills and meandering lanes in the tranquil splendor of a hill station. Here, among the typical Indian dry snacks and the cool mountain air, a curious sight attracted my attention: a lone brinjal placed on the counter of Indian snack stall where its existence was in question.
It is a clear morning as our narrative begins, with the roadside snack stall man carefully setting up his goods for the coming day. Decorating a stall with the spicy green chiles, fragrant onions, tart lemons, juicy tomatoes, crisp cucumbers, and fragrant pulses; a popular go to snack in India. A popular snack that is available all over India, whether you are in a market or you are travelling on a train or bus, you will find this snack easily.
But there was an unexpected addition to this popular snack: one lone brinjal that didn’t appear to belong with the other ingredients of snack. I laughed on seeing a lone brinjal on the pile of pulses surrounded by the snack ingredients.
Despite the strange arrangement of brinjal, the owner of snack stall may have chosen to leave it there, maybe he was interested in seeing if anyone would notice or ask about its presence. The brinjal remained a subject of curiosity as the day went on and tourists strolled past the snack stall. A few people laughed at the sight, finding it funny that the vegetable was out of place among the other food. Some others ignored it, would have thought that it was just a peculiar aspect of living in a hill station.
After spending an hour walking around the hills, I returned and noticed the same arrangement of brinjal on the pulses, where the brinjal is still resting between unfriendly pulses, despite the pulses’ number lowering due to sales. The aroma of freshly made Indian delicacies wafted into the roadside stand as I got closer, tempting me in. Perplexed, I could not help but wonder about its presence in a place where it seemed to serve no purpose.
I gave in to my curiosity and tried one of the well-liked snacks that were being offered. I asked the stall owner about the lone brinjal as he prepared my snack. I asked him, “Pardon me, but I couldn’t help but noticed a lone brinjal over here from quite long.” Why is it in this place? It doesn’t seem appropriate with all of these crunchy foods.” The man answered. “Ah, that brinjal,” he laughed and wiped his hands on his apron. “That lone brinjal, you see, has a story”.” He pointed at the lone brinjal and said, “this is for luck.”
I listened to him, his story about lone brinjal and how it turned out to be unexpectedly important to the roadside stall’s success. It served as a reminder that, on occasion, even the tiniest actions can have profound meaning.
The notion of the lone brinjal made me smile as I bit into my food and enjoyed the flavors. Its presence was a silent monument to the strength of belief and the enchantment of potential. To sum up, the story of the lone brinjal should serve as a reminder that sometimes the greatest finds in life can be found in the most unlikely ways.
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