Wednesday, December 26, 2007

2007- Looking back

It's the end of the year and time to look back on 2007 - most of the time, the days flew past so fast, I didn't notice the passage of months, let alone the days.
I made new friends, got in touch with some old ones that I hadn't met in years, adopted a baby bulbul and nursed it to health, lost the same bulbul to a hawk six months later, my daughter got through her tenth class prep exams, my husband and I had some pretty spectacular fights but as always, we made up, tried my hand at writing, started a blog, discovered some 'smashing' blogs, learnt to bake biscuits - yup, 2007 has been one heck of a year!
My takeaways from 2007 have been immense - I discovered that happiness can only come from within (Cliche alert!), my job is not what I want to do all my life and yes, love does go around! I discovered a whole new world of birds thanks to Circuit (my baby bulbul) and now the pigeons I feed on my terrace are a source of wonder to me. My daughter thinks I have birds on the brain but truly, we never notice our feathered friends, who live all around us and have such tragically short lives.
Salut, Circuit! Goodbye 2007!

Friday, December 14, 2007

Today IS another day!

A winter morning in Hyderabad....
Darkened windows, dreary skies, a muffled milk delivery man on a beaten up scooter, wood smoke permeating the air. As the skies lightens in the east, a hawk circles high up and the school autorickshaws begin to ply. The cast iron gate is cold to the touch and cold air nips at my ears, the tip of my nose as I wave my goodbyes.

A red-vented bulbul looks at me gravely till I chirp at him. He gives me an offended look and flies away, darting and swooping. The little birds in my guava tree quarrel noisily and chase each other off the branches. The pomegranate tree is laden with fruit. Lemons roll off from the prickly bush they hung from - little yellow markers amongst a tangle of inconsequential weeds.

By now, the sky is a beautiful blue and pale sunlight gilds the houses, turning greenery into gold.
A pigeon struts and coos on the ledge as a flock carves swathes of grey against the horizon. A group of construction workers gather on the cemented side walks, waiting for the truck that will transport them to work.

Vendors begin to voice their raucous calls while the aroma of freshly brewed coffee fills the house. The fragrance of incense mingles with that of soap. I inhale and the air hits my lungs like droplets of ice-cold water - today is another day!