0530 hours, Mundhwa, Pune, India.
Four or five whistles go off one after the other. A few minutes later, I hear pipes being cranked up and then the pipes groan of satisfaction at being filled up after several hours of emptiness. I toss in my bed (if you can call a couple of mattresses on the floor a bed!) and snuggle deeper into my duvet. It's still dark outside and a little chilly too - it's too early to be up and about. I wake up an hour later, a smile on my face - I've just surfaced from a rather nice dream :-) I stretch out languidly remembering someone who said that stuff you dream about in the morning usually comes true...hehe, agar aise hua to uske mooh mein ghee-shakar! And then the baby lets out his alarm - OK time to get up. Rise and Shine. Wakey-wakey...unless ofcourse you'd rather spend another hour in bed trying to blot out the sounds of a little cherub excitedly spreading the news about a brand new day!
So I roll out of bed - only to discover my dog waiting patiently for that sign of wakefulness and be covered by a bundle of golden fur. Wrestling myself out from beneath him, I stumble over to the bathroom to brush my teeth. GAWD my mouth feels awful - note to myself, "do not get into a relationship in Pune, unless you want to reconcile yourself to a lifetime of no good-morning kisses before a mouth-wash. Triste, the effects of the air-pollution in this city." A rigorous brushing of teeth followed by mint mouthwash, and I'm ready to face the world.
I leave my room and immediately enter another world that is bustling with activity - my nephew is playing in his baby-seat, my mother and bhabhi are busy in the kitchen, making the morning tea and starting preparations for the lunch-boxes. My father is working on his laptop - and Shnapps has scamperd off to wake up my brother so he can go down for his morning-walk. I go make my own cup of Lemon-tea or Frucht-tee, depending on my mood and step out into the balcony to sip it in peace. The tea helps clear my throat - and keeps the pollution-caused phlegm at bay. The fog has started lifting and I can make out the hills in the distance...below me, there are several people out for their morning walk/jog, lots of children waiting for their school buses or shared-rickshaws - and on the tennis-court four gentlemen are warming up, while a couple of younger guys wait patiently for their turn on the court. A flock of tiny birds flies past and I wonder what birds they are...there are parrots, cuckoos, pigeons, sparrows and crows apart from a couple others that I don't recognise.
It's peaceful - slow and peaceful. I'm quite completely awake now, so I go back inside to see if anyone needs my help.
It's another new day :-)
13 comments:
Well aren't we a early bird. I havent seen that part of Mundhwa. Where is it?
I am visiting Pune again this weekend. Thrilled to bits I am. Shall be riding my baby back. (Uh... a 1979 Royal Enfield Bullet).
Fond memories this brings.... of early mornings in Pune. Seem to have forgotten the most essential sounds of these beautiful mornings - the chirping birds. The goosebumps from the cool breeze on your face and the remains of the previous night in your head. Shall be enjoying this weekend in my old city once again...
wow the scene is to be included in the list of benefits of getting up early . i only add points to the list so that someday i might get up early..
family mornings are so much more pleasant than solitary ones. (ah for being called to breakfast!)
yet, listening to vishnu sahasranamam by subhalakshmi always takes me home every morning.
Saurabh - It's actually beyond Mundhwa and falls outside the city limits. It's a residential colony targetted primarily at the Defense personnel - staying here temporarily till we get our own pad. Enjoy your weekend in Pune!
PS were you also a part of the Enfield club in Pune - it seems any self-respecting Pune collegiate knows alot abt bikes and atleast 1 member frm that club! I'm always VERY lost when they talk abt it!
Paddy - Well, I'll be glad to supply you with more reasons to wake up early ;-)
WD - Can't argue with that at all. While I cherish my weekends in Bbay away from family, when I get to 'do my own thing' and am alone, I can't imagine a solitary life...would atleast need a room-mate!
What a lovely morning, Geetanjali! And a lovely telling of it too. One of these days I am going to drag my lazy carcass out of bed... one day soon. :)
As a matter of interest, my dear, waking up early alone is also a special sort of pleasure. Hostel taught me that!
oh my gawd u stay here. doesn't matter even if its on temp basis!!!!!!see if only i stayed in place like that even i'd write to an ode to beautiful morning
sigh.. did no one ever tyell ya, girl, dat too much waking up in de mornings early can be injurious to health? ;-)
Gosh, you really are a morning person!
PS: Didnt know Pune was so polluted. Sounds worse than the metros...
good fun. but don't you think this waking early spate has been going on too long? i mean ok wake up early, sure, but im feeling all awful about waking up at 11.30 on a sunday, still slightly drunk. you cant do that. you can't. thats mean, and evil, and bad. i'll call buffy haan.
-Phal
this scene resonates with me- was home for about 8 days last month in cal - miss my mom fussing early morning preparing warm breakfast(no museli & milk) and thank god they have stopped insisting on an early bath. However am happy to be back in bbay.
Hey.... Florida Estate?
I know the camp area and its fringes quite well. There are tons of my friends living that side.
Roadshakers - thats what that club is called. Yes I do know about it simply cos I am one of the 5 founding members who started it almost 3 years back. Ah those were the times. I lost touch with most of them but even now when I go back the old camaradeie still exists. I've seen this club grow from a 7 member something to a dominating 250 members.
Will write about the trip sometime today..
Extempore - Ofcourse it is ; that's what I cherish abt my mornings in Bbay :-)
Aparna :-) Yep I stay here. Next time I'll post pics of the approach and you won't envy me so much LOL
Rahul - LOL, nopes no one told me that. Though I distinctly remember the adage abt "Early to bed and early to rise makes Rahul healthy, wealthy and wise" ;-)
Casablanca - It's in a dreaful state these days with the mass construction, lack of planning and disappearance of the green cover the city was once so proud of. Now all they want to boast abt and boost is the IT industry *rolls eyes*
Aristera - LOL, yes sir. Sleep is precious for me - specially now.
Phal - What to do, I don't get drunk and hungover!
Guppie - Sounds divine! :-)
Saurabh - Yep. Jesus you actually know of the place, despite having left Pune? Punekars don't know abt it...
Read abt your trip...it was a rocking read :-)
Another great morning post!
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