Today it was about discovering the neighbourhood at dawn. 3:30AM – The night owl cloud has just finished its exercise. Dawn is nice and cool with a hint of dew-like drizzle. The neighbourhood is sleeping, but the birds are up, co-coing to glory. The yellow light from the lamp posts cast lazy puddles on the quiet empty street. Peace reigns. As I enter the main road, there is activity. A couple of Tempo Travellers are parked in front of a lone tea shop. The young IT folks (morning shifters possibly) are having their first smoke of the day with a cup of chai.
As I cross the main road entering the streets of Indiranagar, silence returns. The reverie is broken only by the hum of air conditioners in some houses. Wonder why they are required in this lovely weather? A litter of puppies are huddled together at the base of lamp post near the ditch sharing their warmth while the mother is already up, worried about today’s breakfast. Vehicles are parked all the way on the streets, queued up, some look like conjoined twins joined at their rear. In a few hours, these will shriek, honk, spew and snarl the city.
Early morning/Late night longs walks pose a challenge – Nature calls. It is a challenge to answer this in the urban neighbourhood. To deter this, the Government warns you, whilst Gods of all religions request you (God signs on walls). The call of the muezzin wafts from the nearby mosque, it is 5AM. The sirens of an ambulance jarrs the prayer. The slumbering city is slowly waking up. Milk vans drop off the crates, newspaper vendors are busy arranging the papers to be delivered, tea shops brewing chai, drivers huddled near tea shops waiting patiently. The charming stillness, the emptiness, the quiet glow will morph into a bustling, noisy, chaotic scene. The signature of an Indian city. 13km done. As I enter home Caesar (my Labrador) is waiting for his morning walk. We do a 5KM walk together. 3:45 hours on the feet.
Cycle to work to relax the muscles. The city traffic is in full glory. Jammed up and stopped all the way!