The author shares memories of life on Grey Street, describing scenes related to porcelain trading, the work of drivers, and the presence of local gangsters.
In the Chatsworth area, women from afar could often be seen arriving to exchange unwanted clothing for porcelain dogs, pitchers, and swans. They would lay out their goods on a street corner, usually not far from the main road, attracting buyers with loud voices reminiscent of a church choir.
The author never managed to learn their names, as they all called themselves 'Mama'. Although this might have seemed respectful, the author notes that it also reflected the crude anonymity bred by colonialism and apartheid, recalling times when white people derogatorily called all Indians from Durban 'Mary' and 'Sammy'.
The author's mother, Latchamma Alimal Naidu, tried to bridge this gap. Having grown up on a farm in Hillary, she possessed an astonishing gift for speaking all Indian languages, from Urdu to Bollywood. As for African languages, she only knew isiZulu and avoided the awkward jargon 'Fanagalo'. Her vocabulary, accent, and intonation allowed her to appear like a rural Zulu woman.
As the eldest son, the author always accompanied his mother everywhere. They often took the bus into town. He recalls shouting conductors in 'Town Talk' shirts or pale-white 'Pointer' shirts, whose overalls sagged low from the weight of coins hidden in front and back pockets. The author would ask her questions about geography, linguistics, and history, receiving expert lessons right there on the seat.
Upon arriving at Grey Street and the bus station opposite Patel's shop, the gangsters and drivers greeted them, lowering their buckets. The author's mother dressed in elegant dresses and low-heeled shoes reminiscent of the Sloane Square style in London, standing out among the crowd. The author watched a line of Chevrolet Fleetline, Ford Fairlane, and Valiant cars transporting long-distance passengers, while their street vendors shouted place names such as 'eMgungundlovu', 'Dukuza', and 'Shepstone'.
After several lessons, his mother stopped him, saying, 'Let's go.' Looking at the men in custom-tailored wool suits and cigars, the author wanted to linger and fully absorb the atmosphere of city life. However, a sharp tug on his thin sleeve forced him to move on. 'Don't look. Those are the gangsters—Duchene, Salot, Red League.'
Over time, he met the TDK—Duchene's children from the city—when they visited his aunt in Himalaya Flats, at the corner of the old Dutch and Centenary roads, near Warwick Avenue. His aunt was magnificent, gathering her hair high, applying bright lipstick, and having dimples as deep as the Blyde Canyon. The TDK helped his mother carry shopping bags to his aunt's apartment and run errands, such as picking up a bag of sweet biscuits from the cafe downstairs. At other times, they could disarm a defiant figure from neck to ankle with a single swing of an Okapi hunting knife. The author also heard legends of Bibi Salot, who wore a pistol with a pearl handle in her stocking and once shot a man under a table.
When they returned to the 'Blue Flame' Ganesh bus sanctuary back on Hugginson Highway and Unit 3, he left behind the excitement associated with the gangsters. Later, playing dress-up in his father's clothes, he could never recreate the image of these men leaning against lampposts on Grey Street.
In their world, a typical path involved black trousers, a white shirt, and a bow tie for working as a waiter. If lucky, 'connections' could secure a job in a sewing or furniture factory. Getting a job in a bank, even as a clerk, was considered the pinnacle of achievement. In their small pond, imagination did not extend to obtaining degrees or becoming university professors.
Everything changed suddenly when Jeffrey from the pink house across the street enrolled in medical college, and Charlie Sigapragasen from the next corner began studying to be a teacher. They created new aspirations. The author's parents constantly repeated the mantra: 'Study hard, and you can become like those guys.' His father regularly emphasized: 'Read, and you can become like the eloquent orator of the British Empire, the venerable Sir Srinivasa Shastri.'
Despite his father's deep political awareness, encompassing communism and Black Consciousness, he did not realize the irony of colonialism at that time. In Shastri, he saw only a well-educated Indian man in an elegantly tailored suit.
His father's old suits came in handy when his mother needed something to trade for porcelain ornaments. One day, his mother asked one of the traders, 'Where are you from, Mama?', when it became clear that her knowledge of isiZulu was superficial. The response was: 'Mankweng'. For the first time, the name of the place and the language stumped his mother. The location was remembered by the author, as was the registration number on their large yellow Ford F-250: LEB, if he wasn't mistaken.
Today, as vintage is fashionable, the author regrets not keeping some of his father's wide bell-bottom trousers from Bronson's instead of the ornaments left to him by his mother in her will.