A PEEK FROM TERRACE

From Sampath’s Desk:

A PEEK FROM TERRACE

 

Sitting pretty well on a chair on the terrace of my flat near the parapet wall on a Sunday afternoon I had a peek into outside capturing the panoramic evanescent glimpses of the goings-on around and down under. I was relaxing in a dull mood. But the scenes, and movements and activities of people around – happening in quick succession – near and afar up to which my eyes could reach down the roads and contiguous areas made me wake up from a near slumber I was in then. As the Sun which was till then shining well started playing ‘hide and seek’ with the hovering clouds covering and uncovering it alternately. In fact, earlier I was reclining in an easy-chair in my apartment hall glued to the TV set holding the remote in hand and scrolling and navigating through different channels. And as nothing was mind-pleasing, I switched off the TV and climbed up to the terrace.

 

The terrace of our apartments situated in a suburb of Chennai greeted me, as usual, with beautiful outside sceneries including the lush green ambience peppered with well grown trees while twittering birds flying in the sky were making different warbling sounds as if modulating trills and quavers in a song composition or singing competition – all presented me a visual feast with music to ears. Chirruping birds calling it a day were retiring back to their nests.

 

The road below was seen flurried with movements of different vehicles with hooters blaring, sometimes too piercingly and ear-blasting. Deafening noises generated by moving vehicles and transient lull alternating, the whole atmosphere was vivid, vibrant and vivacious.

 

Squealing children exuberant with joy while playing and gamboling generating ecstatic voices made me sit upright and my mood upbeat. Their celerity didn’t diminish even a little albeit exhaustion and lassitude a long play session was fraught with. As twilight approached with darkness descending with the Sun almost having sunk below the horizon, frazzled at the edges as they were, children finally dispersed bidding adieu for the day kindling the nostalgia in me. I revisited my boyhood days the memories of which transported me to the pinnacle of delight and crescendo of joy. 

 

Even before the Sky darkened, vehicles switched on their dazzling head-lights heralding the onset of night. Near the four-road junction, two cars made a sudden turn simultaneously without one noticing the other advancing exactly on opposite directions, giving anxious moments for the drivers, passers-by and on-lookers including me watching the proceedings from the top. Thanks to applying of sudden brakes by all concerned, a possible head-on collision was averted. As is the wont with every botching driver, the two drivers got out of their cars and started blame-game with free trading of charges, tirades, invectives, diatribes and what not, mindless of the resultant traffic-jam. Since other vehicle drivers and some on-lookers entreated the two bickering drivers to stop their wordy spar and clear off, the wrangling came to an end paving way for the dust to die down enabling vehicles resume movement.

 

An elderly man with a walking stick in hand who was trying to dart across the road couldn’t do so in the pell-mell. With vehicles crisscrossing haphazardly and moving haywire, he had to retreat over and over again, cursing the goings-on. Seeing the plight of the oldie, a boy got hold of his hands and caressingly helped him dart across. The elder then thanked and blessed the boy.  

 

Stray cattle and barking dogs, some strolling across fast and some sluggishly, irked speedsters, who were seen muttering for having to negotiate both natural and live speed-breakers. A stray cow and buffalo suddenly knee-jerked and went berserk sending road users into a tizzy.

 

By this time, the Sun went ajar with more than half of it having sunk into the western horizon, a bit hidden by clouds also, and splashed a confetti of sun-set yellow giving it a near orange colour - emitting feeble rays that made virtually no impact, as the breeze wafted across gently with its sublime tender subtleties - softly with a gentle fondling - brushed my body to a great comfort.

 

By then, with rain-bearing clouds hovering all over the sky and beginning to pelt droplets with the petrichor of rain permeating all over felt even before the darkness engulfed, a few fell on me.  

 

With the mild drizzling intensified into a downpour I got back into my flat. Since rain-gazing has always been a beguiling and entrancing pastime for me, I sat in the balcony for a while glimpsing. But, with rainwater spraying and splashing profusely, I had to move into my flat.

 

With the picturesque scenes still lingering in my mind, after taking my supper, I was chewing the cud of the vistas over and over again before I fell sleep!!

                                                                  

R.SAMPATH

4/5/2019