Amid the sky scrappers and plazas that surround and loom over it, the little single storey community center looks, in spite of its irregular structure, positively delicate and graceful. It is scarcely less busy than them; there is a double row of cars in front of it, and an even greater number of motorcycles. The sounds emerging from within mingle, albeit discordantly, with the mayhem outside.
Laughter. The excited shrieks of the children as they run about, colliding with everyone and every thing. The hum of the voices of the adults, the ear-piercing rock music from the ‘Teen zone’, as well as the noises from the road, pervade the whole building, The only places where there is comparative peace are the reading room, where shortsighted old men sit hunched over their news papers, and the gym. The gym is, as usual, nearly empty. There are only two people there. A corpulent, middle aged gentleman in a suit far too tight for him, who puffs and pants as he pulls at the straps on the exercise machine, and a boy with dumb bells who is concentrating so hard that he scarcely sees the ludicrous spectacle before him.
However, the ‘sports room’, a vast, hall like area to which it forms a sort of antechamber, is always crowded. Snooker, chess, card games and video games are generally popular among the boys and men. The older, skillful players are relaxed and cheerful; they exchange jokes and comments, and good-naturedly guide the more nervous youngsters. The women play badminton at a miniature court at one end of the room, or simply wander about, gossiping and laughing while they keep an eye on their children. In general, the atmosphere is one of cordiality and fellowship. Fights do breakout among the children occasionally, but their watchful mothers swiftly intervene and resolve them. The smell of tea, biscuits, crisps and cake is diffused throughout the room, as waiters rush about serving these to the players. Most of them partake of these as they play.
Across the narrow, crowded lounge, where a large group, made up mostly of the elderly, is intently watching the news, is the teen zone. Some boys dance frenziedly to the music. A group of girls giggles over a fan magazine. Everyone is enjoying themselves. The computers and gaming consoles lined against the walls are crowded. Howe ever, most people just sit around talking and laughing, nibbling the refreshments set before them. Considering the volume of the music, it is incredible that they should be able to understand each other at all; but it does not seem to bother them.
Neither, even more surprisingly, does it seem to disturb the knitting circle in the next room, some fifty odd old ladies whose tongues run as unceasingly as their needles. Situated between the ‘Play land’ designed for toddlers, and the teen zone, they have become habituated to noise.
The ‘play land’ is full of all sorts of swings, slides and rides designed for two to six year olds. All sorts of toys, from teddy bears to toy dolls and aero planes are also scattered about. There are dozens of children here, along with their mothers, nurses, and in some cases, elder brothers and sisters. Laughing and screaming, squalling and squabbling, they play on happily until their parents decide to leave.
The community center provides the people of the neighborhood with a place for recreation and to socialize. In the heart of the city, where there are no public parks or libraries, it is an invaluable institution.
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