21:00hrs. The much anticipated friday evening is right here. The screeching bus and incessant traffic honks for the past two hours or so aid in a poignant continuation to the so called semi-annual meet at work. My weary mind slowly starts easing out as I get down from the bus and walk back home from Habsiguda cross-roads. As I enter the colony, a waft of breeze somehow seems to carry away all issues with it and slowly the ambience sinks in.
Looks like there’s been a decent shower in this part of the city and as is characteristic, there seems to be no power. The colony surprisingly seems to be pretty silent. The central garden which otherwise is paraded by health conscious people and of late couples, seems to have no visitors today. There’s not a soul on the road. No kids wailing, no dogs barking. All of a sudden, it all looks as if I’m the only one living in this society. The roads seem to be much wider and all that illuminates it is the moonlight making its way down here through dense clouds. A gentle drizzle starts and as Henley’s ‘Hotel California’ from my music player echoes down my ear canal, I somehow feel the drizzle giving lfe to the stoic road. It’s like I’ve found company for my walk back home.
For some weird reason, my thought process catapults me back to this realization. This is probably the second shower that we’ve had since the monsoon has supposedly begun. The Met center forecasts a below normal rainfall this year and in ways relating this to what the people in Jibhi had mentioned about the lack of snowfall for the past two years, somehow brings out a chill down my spine. I desperately seek to ward this thought off but the truth still remains. It’s all just a game of Dave. Knowingly or unknowingly we’re jumping from one foothold to another in search of the unknown or in the quest for that final destination; quite obliviously disregarding what we’re leaving behind. The real question is how much fuel would be left, as we pass on the torch of life to the forthcoming generations.
When I was a kid, I had a fancy for bikes and cars. I in fact dreamed of becoming a cab driver one day! Today I literally feel like showing my third finger to people out here who commute alone even for short distances in their personal vehicle. My friends and relatives, all the more. People, If you think you’re saving time[and money] in commuting on your own vehicle to work and back; believe me you’re no wiser than a 10year old kid. It pains to see so many so called knowledgeable people depleting resources in thin air for nothing at all. The other day, I was going through a very interesting presentation on how road traffic could be starkly reduced if even fifteen percent of the current vehicular population shifts to Public transport. Lesser noise, lesser pollution and quicker transit. What else could you ask for? Damn, I lose a fucking five hours a day in travel! At the end of the day, It’s not the work that tires me. It’s this pollution and noise during the travel that fatigues me out. At times, I wonder why we humans fail to pick the baton and walk the talk when we have the solution right in front of us. It’s just about getting the wheel rolling. Just a minuscule change in the way you do your day to day activities for the good of everyone around you. Who cares?
The power suddenly fires up in the electric wires above me and then in minutes, the colony is back to life. There’s a sudden flurry of activity. Kids suddenly pop from nowhere, A baby starts wailing out of the blue, there’s this Pressure cooker whistling out - all just like a tape being re-winded and suddenly played. And in all this cacophony, someone’s voice just gets subdued.
At times, it pays to listen to the road talking.