It must have been nearly seven years ago.
That was the last time I heard that delightful sound...the last time I enjoyed watching the lantern swaying gently... faint, flickering...
Today, an hour before sunrise, as I opened my window facing the street, the world greeted me with a curiously familiar swish of morning breeze.
The streetlights were out. In the darkness, I could barely make out where the front gate stood. It had been raining all night. The scent of paala flowers still lingered on in the frigid morning air. Then, it happened again...
The breeze, gathering the scent and sweet chillness into a bouquet, rollicked in through the window, brushing the curtains away...and teased me as if to make me remember, as it caressed my face and broke away, withering the bouquet along, shredding the scent and chillness upon me...and then, flooding along with it - a memory..
it was déjà vu all over again!
It was on a day exactly like this that I had seen it and heard it for the last time.
Yes, I remembered now - Every morning, an hour before sunrise, a bullock-cart would trudge along the street.
The clitter-clatter of footsteps, the melodious percussion of the cartwheels going around, and the tinkering of the bells that adorned the beasts' neck.
Suspended below the cart near the front, there would be a lantern burning out its wick, showing the way, dancing to the rhythm of the cart shuffling along...
A moving portrayal of the gentle pace of life, drifting past my window nonchalantly, in no hurry to fade away into the imminent past...
I suddenly realised I may never get to savour such an experience again, for it had retired into the bygone once and for all ...
As I wallowed into nostalgia, several such recollections from the past fleeted by...
The squirrels that came running for the promised handful of groundnuts every morning...the mynas that chirped and tweeted about the day's agenda...and the debonair spinach vendor ringing his bicycle bell, gliding by... Occasionally, one could hear a cuckoo perform from a tree branch, and sight eagles sitting atop the Arts College building, scanning the skies...
They're all fading away...melting into oblivion...
I fear that our next generation would, perhaps, never get to enjoy such experiences at all!
I picked up the day's newspaper. On the supplement, the headline appeared to scoff at my thoughts.
"Mobile, TV are Life Enhancers" - Ajay Puri, Director, CEO - DTH, Bharti Airtel
No wonder! Sigh!
That was the last time I heard that delightful sound...the last time I enjoyed watching the lantern swaying gently... faint, flickering...
Today, an hour before sunrise, as I opened my window facing the street, the world greeted me with a curiously familiar swish of morning breeze.
The streetlights were out. In the darkness, I could barely make out where the front gate stood. It had been raining all night. The scent of paala flowers still lingered on in the frigid morning air. Then, it happened again...
The breeze, gathering the scent and sweet chillness into a bouquet, rollicked in through the window, brushing the curtains away...and teased me as if to make me remember, as it caressed my face and broke away, withering the bouquet along, shredding the scent and chillness upon me...and then, flooding along with it - a memory..
it was déjà vu all over again!
It was on a day exactly like this that I had seen it and heard it for the last time.
Yes, I remembered now - Every morning, an hour before sunrise, a bullock-cart would trudge along the street.
The clitter-clatter of footsteps, the melodious percussion of the cartwheels going around, and the tinkering of the bells that adorned the beasts' neck.
Suspended below the cart near the front, there would be a lantern burning out its wick, showing the way, dancing to the rhythm of the cart shuffling along...
A moving portrayal of the gentle pace of life, drifting past my window nonchalantly, in no hurry to fade away into the imminent past...
I suddenly realised I may never get to savour such an experience again, for it had retired into the bygone once and for all ...
As I wallowed into nostalgia, several such recollections from the past fleeted by...
The squirrels that came running for the promised handful of groundnuts every morning...the mynas that chirped and tweeted about the day's agenda...and the debonair spinach vendor ringing his bicycle bell, gliding by... Occasionally, one could hear a cuckoo perform from a tree branch, and sight eagles sitting atop the Arts College building, scanning the skies...
They're all fading away...melting into oblivion...
I fear that our next generation would, perhaps, never get to enjoy such experiences at all!
I picked up the day's newspaper. On the supplement, the headline appeared to scoff at my thoughts.
"Mobile, TV are Life Enhancers" - Ajay Puri, Director, CEO - DTH, Bharti Airtel
No wonder! Sigh!
10 comments:
What once wud have been a mere entry into yur personal diary, that wud have caught dust in some rusty corner is a hyperlink today on my webpage......tyms are changing ....but there are lovely, very lovely things which would have been lovelier if they remained the way dey were....(sigh)
only if time wud stand still!
Good one.. Its when u notice things like this and blog your heart out, that a nice, seemingly empty but lovely little blog post comes up :)
Very touching one...
V r so hooked 2 dis fast pace life tat v hav no time 2 b with dis wonderful life with nature.
Also technology has erased many beautiful things tat u hav mentioned...!!!
The feel is there frm begin till end of the blog...
I had a lump in my throat reading it.
Thank God for all these wonderful moments in life; the memories of which locked up in a treasure chest dep within help us sail through the tougher times!
thanks everyone :)
People, it seems are in a great hurry all the time.. We're gradually getting used to a rapid-paced lifestyle..and we're beginning to take it for granted!
a good read..made me nostalgic too.. there are these moments which are lost in the past but refuse to leave our memories.. some moments which we wish to relive.. but most often cant..
awesome read.....:)... Nice to see you back into blogin after a while...(tagged+this one :D)..
The pace with which the world s changing is sumthin indispensible these daya(i meant the techi developments n bla bla).. Gone are those days of plush greeneries nearby the cities... We arent beginning to change, we have already changed a lot.:((7years is not a short span of time dude..:D)...
cheers...:)
Well written da... and its so true, Byt change is sadly inevitable.. Guess our parents would have many more things to feel nostalgic about.. But we could never experience them..Lets hope the best of our folklore continues to stay with us...
Very well written.Life is moving so fast that we very rarely pause and think of all the things that were once there.And now I had this sudden surge of thoughts..yes nostalgia as you have rightly named
thanx again, everyone, for sharing ur thoughts! :)
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