Notice:

“All students are requested

to observe a minute’s silence

in memory of the brave girl

who succumbed to death in Delhi...”

“Waiting for Godot,” said the teacher,

“is a typ-”

Tring.

Silence

punctuated by the buzz

of words whirling within thirty heads.

God save her soul, thought some.

What kind of animals are they,

wondered some others.

The horror of it all made them shudder.

What a blemish on our country’s image,

was another’s lament.

Some thanked god in private

for sparing them her fate.

The chatterbox of the class

marvelled at the discovery

that she too can keep her mouth shut,

if only for a minute.

Was it two minutes for Indira Gandhi’s death anniversary?

Never mind.

Tring.

“As I was saying,” the teacher’s words

drowned in the cacophony of students

cleansing themselves of a minute’s silence.

“Waiting for Godot is a typical-”

Bang!

Silence.

“-example for an absurd play.”