The Morning Strot

                         I hurried down the road, calculating the minutes it would take me to reach the Institute where I had taken up a new teaching assignment, I had opted the public transport of bus and rickshaws as an excuse for not exercising regularly at home. You had to walk down to the bus stop or to take an auto. So it served the purpose plus you could enjoy the FM's or listen to your favorite music as you walked down. It was a bit early in the morning though but listening to songs added rhythm to the walk and some songs sometimes triggered a chain of thoughts.
                 '.........kaheen to milengi, baharon ki manzil rahee' played in one of the radio stations. It was good to hear the song after a long time, in Lata's melodious voice. Flawless and sweet, her voice suited the Morning mood. Well, there were a line of autos with the drivers busy reading newspapers. Some places, the people are just not bothered about business. As I explained to one of them where I needed to go, he directed me to the other who pointed to the third auto. Exasperated, I finally managed to get into one of them, which sped past the grocery shops, the owners just opening shutters, the muncipality staff cleaniing the road, the dust shining like gold bathed in the early morning sun rays. The road side tea stalls were just getting ready for the morning 'chai' public. Sometimes the usual routine things which you ignore or which you just pass through, not bothering to even look at, give a sense of normalcy, i.e. a feeling of 'Yes, everything is o.k.'. The expression on people's faces while they start their morning chores, sort of telling you that 'the day had started'. The clothesline (which otherwise was a mismatch at the backdrop of the posh apartments) looked very homely today with the clothes hanging out. The city might grow with fancy apartments and glossy buildings but the 'old city' buildings, homes, have their own charm as well. Somehow they, like our aging parents, assure us of 'not everything will change in this fast paced world, some things are there to stay', sort of giving a sense of stability. The things that age before you and grow old with you are sometimes like the 'Easy chair, where you lean against and rock in peace' at times. A stressbuster perhaps ?