While we had a great time
with friends at the Garden Retreat Resorts some 40 kms from Hyderabad heralding
2013, I kind of feel a little
disconcerted on a few happenings of today that kind of piqued my mind. I ask myself are we headed into the future a
little too fast?
As soon as we stepped out
of my car post a tiring drive wading
through the traffic, windows up with the AC on my 6 year daughter exclaimed
“Daddy…see so many stars in the sky !!!” Given the rustic environs of the
resort devoid of the concrete jungle amidst whiffs of fresh breeze from the
many a tree lining the place….one could not stop but discern what nature has to
offer. My son bolted to pick up a
basket-ball that lay and with joy started dribbling his way through some imaginary
opponents to basket the ball in absolute glee…(after all he spends all his time
buried in his books, with absolutely no time to play), whilst my daughter
quizzed “Daddy…why in Hyderabad do we see very few stars!!!” The barefoot walk on the grass felt like an
earthy experience reminding of what we miss in our busy everyday lives…
The chirping of the birds
and the call of a distant peacock was like music to the ears the next misty
morning while we exited our cottage for a cup of “chai”. The happiness was kind of short-lived when we
trudged out with our bags to head back to the rigmarole…to the daily grind…
The other event this
evening once again took me back in times.
It was but a simple rather very simple outing for a “Veg-Thali” at the
Secunderabad Kamat (read Kamat not Kha-mat).
I kind of reminisce those days when I would walk behind my Mom and Dad
with my brother in tow into the only 3 hotels/restaurants where we could have a
meal…It was either the Kamat or the Taj Mahal (not to be confused with the 5
stars ones) or the Shanbagh…Well my spouse Sruti was in a mood for such a
simple Thali this evening while I wracked by brain to think of a place where we
could have one…Those were the days which ever corner we went, we would end up
at one of the 3 restaurants and here I was today, Google mapping the nearest
non-modernized Kamat…the one that would taste what as a child I relished. Google maps lost and we headed to
Secunderabad…
Oh, the smell divine of
the sambar emanating from within, the hustle bustle of the waiters, the shouts
into the kitchen..”Ondu Masala Dosa…”.
Ah how much did we miss the 3 chutku pooris, served with 6 bowls of
curry, pooriyal, sambar, rasam, curd and the ever served kesri bath. Plonk comes the small steel bowl of rice a
minute later…How much did we miss the walk to wash basin to find the ubiquitous
(all Kamats are the same J)
less than a quarter of the medimix neatly cut soap..
While there was joy on
one hand of celebrating the new year…there is this other side of me thinking
how we are missing the very simple uncomplicated things in life…the gaze up to
the stars, the barefoot walk in grass,
the chirping of sparrows, the clear
early morning mist, a whiff of fresh air from the greens, a simple but yet
filling limited thali…the aroma of fresh sambar when we walk into a
restaurant…Sigh…Is the World moving too fast….can we pause a bit….can we count
the stars along with our daughters…can we run the basket-ball with our sons…can
we walk through the early pleasant mornings with our spouses…..can we…..
-
Prasanna
Meher Nori
Just one year late reading this article..nevertheless agree with the fact that we are moving too fast..can say jet speed forgetting the small things that add value to the life..Small pleasures like walking on the grass which meant a lot in the childhood is a dream that hardly comes true (present)...Thanks Prasanna for reminding us the once upon a time past to make it true present
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