A Morning in Ahmedabad

There’s something about mornings. The lull as it awakens, the steady increase in activity, the sudden bursts of energy, the rehearsed routines of every household! The sleepy smiles, the daily news, the cup of coffee and the different views. I sit on the couch, lost in my thoughts and observing things around em, all at once.

The newspaper guy rolls each newspaper, ties it with a small thread and throws it onto each floor (through the grills of the balcony) of the building with practiced finesse. The person who delivers drinking water shouts as he rides around in his tiny pick up van (which makes a peculiar noise) asking who needs a can delivered and ladies reply from their kitchens without bothering to even look out their balconies. He still knows exactly who asked for it.

With a book and a newspaper in front of me, I wonder which I want to pick up first. (Come on, don’t give me that stare…if you are the kind of person who has to read the newspaper first thing in the morning, good for you!). I decide to pick up my phone instead…and here I sit typing this out.

A slight breeze ruffles the leaves of the few potted plants we have and they acknowledge it with a gentle sway. Some sleepy mothers are waiting under their buildings with their sleepy kids, dressed for school. The fathers, I’m sure are either sitting with their newspapers or are still snoring. Mine sits beside me, smiles and settles down on the couch. We don’t need to talk. It just is nice this way. A low rumble of engines in a while suggests people are ready to got to work.

In a couple of months, I won’t see what I see today…and there will be different things to write about!