Last Supper

“This morning, we left at six,” says Deputy S. First it was only him and Deputy V. As they were leaving, Deputy N woke up.

‘Kahaan jaa raha hai?’
‘Site.’
‘Abhi?’

The first tractors arrive at 6:30. Kaptaan needs two deputies to direct them.

‘Wait, I’ll wash my face and join you.’
And then Deputy R was up. ‘I’m coming too.’

The team has been on a mission.

Mission: Demolition

Kaptaan took us on a hike to the centre of the site today. He pointed to faraway landmarks. “See that tree? Those two trees out there? That’s where the Swiss Tents will be.” Hidden away in a colony all their own. Some areas will be tucked away within the dunes. Activities in the centre. Restaurants a couple of hundred metres from there. Hot-air balloon way out there on the other side. So on.

Kaptaan described it all like it will be. All I saw were chalk boxes in lonely clusters on a vast flatland stretching to the dunes.

The plot is now so clean that you have an unobstructed view from one corner to the other. But it is so enormous that you would barely make out what’s out there.

The sheer scale of this setup terrifies me.

Invisible tents. Book now!

At night, Deputy V is wiping his plate clean with rotis, chicken, rice, dal, bread, omelette and churma. “Aaj toh kapde-phaad kaam kiya.”

It’s just the deputies with us at dinner. Kaptaan and Sheriff are spending the night at the site. The first crew tents have come up today. We might be moving there tomorrow.

If so, this is our last supper here.

“Aaj kapde-phaad, aur kal tha palank-tod,” says Deputy N. True story. The bed in their tent broke down the middle last night. There’s no clear answer why.

Perhaps it’s just as well that we’re moving out.