BON APPÉTIT

BON APPÉTIT

written by: Salman Sowdagar

It was a hot summer afternoon. The temperature was hovering around 43°C. And Raju was out in the sun, riding his bike. The traffic on Road number 36 was heavy, as always.

Raju stopped at a traffic light and checked his phone. He had some work to do. But he was also feeling hungry. The strong sun was beating down on him, and he felt drained.

So, he drove to one of the plush restaurants in Jubilee Hills. As he stepped inside the restaurant, the cool ambience of the place made him feel better. However, the aroma of food made his stomach grumble. He received a phone call while eagerly waiting for the order, which was delayed.

As he was waiting, he looked around. Everyone was busy – some were happily eating, some were talking, and many were clicking pictures of their food.

Finally, the food came packed. Raju grabbed the plastic bag and left the restaurant. The traffic outside was moving very slowly. On the way, his mind kept thinking about the food he had bought… Even amidst the pollution, he was able to smell the delicious food. It made his hunger rise like the wild tides of an ocean.

As soon as he reached the building, he quickly ran up the stairs as the lift was not working. He was happy he would soon be able to have lunch. He rang the doorbell. The door was opened by a young girl who glared at him and took the bag of food. She said something to him in an angry tone…

Raju turned around and rushed to his bike. He started driving towards Hitec City. He halted near a parked food van opposite Nilofer Bakery. He approached the vendor and bought a plate of mirchi bhajjis.*

NOW, IT WAS TIME FOR HIM TO EAT HIS LUNCH!

He had delivered the order assigned to him before turning off work for some time to have lunch. His work as a delivery partner for a food delivery service meant he made life easy for many, all the while making himself vulnerable sometimes to a natural human desire. For he walked into the best of hotels and restaurants, bought the finest of food on behalf of others, held it, carried it, smelled it, but could never eat it himself, as his salary could not afford it.

* Mirchi bhajji is an Indian fast food

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Salman Sowdagar

Salman Sowdagar is a published author from Hyderabad, India. He likes to let his creative juices flow in the form of poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, essays, etc. He was awarded the 2ⁿᵈ prize in the International Open University’s Poetry Competition in 2024. He was on-air to read his poem Why Am I Dark on Bol Hyderabad 90.4 FM radio, which is broadcasted from the University of Hyderabad. His author bio was included in the book Who’s Who of Emerging Writers 2021 (SweetyCat Press, USA). His work has appeared in numerous magazines and anthologies, such as Traversing Tradition, Melbourne Culture Corner, The Bombay Review, Insights Magazine, Rather Quiet (Dubai), Merak Magazine, CultureCult Magazine, Pangolin Review, Vestige Magazine, Verse of Silence, Poetica (UK), Asian Poetry Anthology, The World Anthology of Poetry 2016 (Taiwan), and others. He holds a Master’s in English from MANUU.

Latest posts by Salman Sowdagar (see all)

• BON APPÉTIT - September 25, 2026