NOISES AND SOUNDS THAT GREET ME DAILY
From Sampath’s Desk:
For me each day starts with the morning alarm on
my cell phone waking me up at 5.00 AM. I have set a couple of alarms
to take care of any slips/skips. Even if I were still in slumber in the rarest
of the rare case, the blare of the milk cookers and/or rice cookers outshouting
one another in the neighbourhood would come to my rescue. Once the darkness
faded into the morning twilight with the Sun appearing on the eastern horizon
with its piercing rays, flocks of parrots, crows, sparrows, etc. having their
nests in the trees around would set out for the day chirping and screaming,
followed by screeching squirrels, barking dogs and mewing cats. Rustling of
tree branches/leaves is a regular feature. The hustle and bustle would increase
with ululations of street vendors, milk/paper boys, etc. heralding the day’s
rat race, which is what the urban milieus are all about. The race against time
begins and remains throughout. In the evening, the
birds that set out in groups to their destinations for food and other activites would return singing “we are back home!”
Office going, once a pleasant and pleasurable experience, has, of
late, become strenuous with commuting proving to be drudgery and exhausting in
Chennai where I had, like many others, my residence and workplace far apart
from each other. One has to take all modes of transport - train, bus, auto,
walk, etc. to reach the workplace and return home. The noises of sorts
generated by vehicles and humans en route would sometimes be
ear-blasting. In urban milieus, with too few public transport facilities
chasing and catering to too large a commuting community, travel in crowded
buses will be a stupendous daily task especially at peak hours. One has to
board the bus hurriedly with other passengers already inside transuding in
sweat and jostling for space and suffocating and writhing in uneasiness. Other
hassles are - having to tender ‘exact amount’ for buying ticket in buses,
passing on money through a chain of people to get the ticket (as conductor may
not be able to wade through standees packed like sardines), yelling of
conductor throughout for anything and everything and against all and sundry,
hurly-burly in alighting, etc. Getting down from a train/bus like a ‘mixer
ground tomato’, the last mile connectivity would be by walk to reach office
with lassitude palpable. Suburban train travel will be no better. However,
buses and trains offer a rendezvous for people to chat on different subjects
under the sky.
The ever on-going works of Mass Rapid Transport System (MRTS),
Metro Rail, flyovers and other infrastructure constructions, etc. in different
routes crisscrossing the urban agglomeration contributed to
city’s traffic woes and noise pollution levels. Traffic-jams,
snarls, signals, etc. increased the decibel levels. Unable to put up with
the hassle-laden train/bus journeys I shifted to a van for travel to office and
back home though it also had its own share of woes.
While passing through schools and colleges, the noises generated in
and around the complexes by students of different ages would be too pleasing to
hear shuttling me into nostalgia enabling me to reminisce memories of my school
days. The noises emanating from the interactions of squealing children of all
ages near the school complexes are always delightful and pleasing to observe
and hear. Especially in playgrounds when children go hammer and tongs in their
games, the proceedings would be nice to watch and the noises would be music to
ears. And if it were a kids’ school, the proceedings would be still further
exciting and exhilarating, as the lisp and even strident noises of tiny tots
could be pleasant to discerning minds.
At market places, the yelling would be markedly louder with vendors
in full cry to attract people’s attention. Needless to mention here the
noise levels in hotels, restaurants, amusement spots, textile show-rooms and
the like. At night, I can hear unclear voices emanating from TV sets in
the neighbourhood. And the day ends as I squirmed in the bed with mosquitoes
roaring into ears and fan singing a lullaby before sleep.
Octavio Paz said, “The
sound of water is worth more than all the poets’ words”.
Sometimes, you need to
sit lonely on the floor in a quiet room to hear your own voice and not let it
down in the noise of others.
And of course, empty
vessels make the most sound. Don’t they?
R.SAMPATH
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