Chasing Sunrise in NH-7
07 Feb 2010home > blogs
Beep beep… beep beep… 4.30 AM. Feb 5, 2010. The alarm on the mobile phone Nokia 5310 is screaming. Everyone in the apartment 505 is still sleeping undisturbed, as usual. He snoozes the alarm without even opening his eyes. He came back from the office at 1.30 AM last night (morning?). For the past three weeks, he has been working like hell and still enjoys the work !!!
It’s 5.00 AM. Again beep beep. He woke up suddenly thinking about Anuraghavendran’s marriage that morning at Krishnagiri. He never woke up at this time, from the day he reached Bangalore. Of course, there were days when he was awake until this time. But never woke up from sleep. He gets ready quickly, logs into Orkut (his first action on any given day), updates “Chasing sunrise in NH 7” in his status, and leaves the room silently. Nowadays, he thinks he is very poetic & humorous and surprisingly many of his friends do agree!.
5.35 AM…Vrr…Vrr… kicked his roommate Arun’s Bajaj Pulsar and started laughing at himself “Why the hell did I kick, when Pulsar has an electric start?”. Remembering the good old days of biking in Yezdi. He drove for hours during college days, just for the sheer pleasure of driving. It is chill and dark outside. Since he was reducing his weight to become slim and fit, he started shivering immediately. An extra bit of fat is always helpful in cold conditions.
“Venmegam pennaaga uruvaanatho !!!… Inneram enai parthu thalaiyaatutho !!!” a Tamil song soothes his heart from his mp3 player. Chillness, Music & Driving!… No words to describe that feeling… Guys, Leave Home !…
Keeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee… A loud and long honk from a lorry brought him back to this world. “Where am I?” said to himself. The road is so clean and well-lit. The minimum speed limit is 80 Km/hr. With proper lanes and green color signboards, it felt like I-75. Yeah, welcome to the present Bangalore. It’s the Elevated Expressway to Electronics City. He was so pleased with the driving that he forgot to take his camera out… Oops!. But he didn’t regret it. He said thanks to all who are involved in constructing this expressway.
It is all mist and fog, the visibility is hardly 50 meters. Headlights are still on, and the traffic moves slowly. Most of them are trucks and containers. He always wanted to drive one of those big interstate container trucks. He said to himself “I will drive one of these big fellas very soon.” He didn’t overtake or chase them. Drove around them in curves, like playing catch-me-if-you-can with the kids.
It’s like an animated movie. Slowly the buildings vanish into greenery. It’s all green now. NH-7. He is out of Silicon Valley and in Tamil Nadu. He read out loud, the signboards in Tamil. He felt at home, even though this is the first time, he is driving alone on this road. The power of mother tongue!
The fog spread over the grass like soft clouds. He stopped the motorbike to capture the beautiful scenery. He took the camera bag off his shoulders and tried to click. “Oh my God! What happened to my fingers?” surprised himself. He couldn’t move his fingers at his will. Frostbitten. He saluted our heroes in Kashmir and the researchers in Antarctica. He put his hands in his Jeans pocket and started to rub his fingers. An old man who was walking on the way stepped two feet away from him and gave him a strange look. “What am I doing in National Highways?” laughed at himself and took his hands out immediately. “Romba kuluru na” he said to the old man. The old man doesn’t seem to mind it either. Click… Click… Click…
Another half an hour’s drive through green lands and small towns. The Sky slowly becomes red and bright, like a blushing girl at the sight of her love. He could see the sun with his naked eye. A bright red ball, waiting for the Hercules to play. “The sun looks awesome, but I need a better view,” said, driving as fast as he could while keeping an eye on the sun. Surprisingly the entire stretch was not as good as thought and had thick trees along the roadside, and could barely see the sun. He is chasing the sun to take a better picture. The sky is getting brighter and brighter very fast, and the tension builds up in him, to find a sweet spot. Something struck his mind, and he stopped right there. Took a few snaps and went deep into splashing thoughts.
This happens in life, very often. “Looking for a better future, we miss to live and love today!”. He stood there for a while and left for Krishnagiri to attend his friend Anuraghavendran’s marriage.
PS: This is my first travelogue of storytelling style. I don’t know when to end the story. So ended it here. The marriage was great, and my friend Anu looks the same as he was five years ago. Smart and smiling. I wish Anu and Shalini love each other until the end of their lives.
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