A weekday morning. A garden at the feet of Yogi Hills, Mumbai
Tum agar
saath dene ka vaada karo, mein yunhien mast nagme sunata rahoon sang the octogenarian, telling about
how he would continue to sing these soulful songs if his soulmate would only promise
to be by his side always.
The morning walkers
in the garden making their rounds are amused and entertained as senior citizens gather under the gazebos lining the path.
Squirrels,
crows, pigeons, hens, cocks who have made the garden their home, await feeding
time.
A little ahead
there is another group singing Karvate badalte rahein saari raat hum, aapki
kasam – I kept turning from one side to another all night long…
Some of the elders smile
meaningfully.
Sure enough,
the lyrics stay the same but the context changes as we age. Lovesickness causes
sleeplessness in youth whereas insomnia makes us change sides as the advanced
years clock in.
With patriotic
fervor, a group on a shaded platform, roar slogans and the national
anthem. Their neighbouring group just claps.
An energetic
group of mostly Sikhs in turbans play throwball. Their occasional yells overpower
all the other sounds.
Lonesome souls
sit on isolated benches for meditation and pranayama in perfect lotus positions, completely oblivious of
the world going by.
Slightly
uphill, a group of yoga enthusiasts move in unison to pay their respects to the
sun in rhythmic sets of surya namaskar.
Monkeys climb
down from the tallness of trees and hang around the Hanuman temple. One of them
sneaks up behind unsuspecting young lovers and shocks them out of their wits.
“Bham
Bham Bhole!” bellows a devotee somewhere uphill. His cry stuns the stillness and then merges into other subdued sounds.
“Hari Om”
people greet each other, dispelling darkness and giving way to light.
Every half an
hour or so, the faces of the walkers change as people enter and exit
continuously.
An elderly man
patiently takes small steps with his swollen arthritic legs in neat socks and
shoes. It takes him an hour to complete one walking round.
His dog faithfully waits for him.
