An evening in Solitude

Last weekend, I was all alone in my flat as my roommates had left to attend a marriage of their college friend. The scorching summer of Delhi 'Dilli ki Garmi' has become unbearable and the delaying of the monsoon (some El Nino effect) has added to our (Delhites) woes.

Most of the day was spent on doing the daily chores,cooking,eating and sleeping and sleeping all over again in order to stay away from the fiery sun god. By the time I got up in the evening it was already 9pm and little too late to step out by Noida standard time and that too alone. So I decided to take a stroll in my society lawn. Lots of young kids from different age groups play till late in the evening to celebrate their summer vacations.

As I sat there to watch these young kids play I was struck by nostalgic brainwave and I got into a virtual Time Machine which took me to my own past. I have nothing but the sweet memories; they are my happiness,my friends in solitude, the treasure of my life. Each incident be it playing with my colony friends, fighting with my sisters, drawing and sketching in the afternoons or sleeping on the terrace on nights of power cut-off and gazing at the stars spread across the sky and sometimes even counting them, is like a jewel which is enshrined within the casket of my heart.

I realised that it has been years since I have gazed at the moonlit sky strudded with innumerable stars. I have forgotten how it feels to walk on dew laden grass or enjoy the odoriferous sweetness of the morning breeze. I have been lost in translation and forgot that I have been missing some precious things in my life - the beauty of nature, the creation of the Cosmos and the most precious thing - The Life.

I laid on the grass, looking up at the sky and absorbed in these thoughts. I wanted to make up for all those nights which were lost. All the loud noises of the children playing was like music to my ears and each of these sounds vibrated harmoniously in my heart. I started to look for constellation of stars, toota hua sitara, the brightest star, the farthest one, the Mars and the Venus.

A sudden noise nearby made me jump and my heart raced. A wave of terror seemed to rise up from my belly and spread through the body. My face went pale all my childhood ghosts became alive once again. It was day break and the security personnel of the society was asking me my flat number. I had spent the entire night on the green bed of the grass and throughout the night I was visited by golden dreams one after the other.

My heart was intoxicated with joy and I trembled through every vein at the thought of spending an entire night with small creatures residing in the lawn.