Indulgence

You pass through the same streets every day. But on some days, you are struck by an indescribable feeling that makes you indulge in all the nuances and the trifle things.

The patch of golden sunlight quivering on the street, filtered down by the trees. The very slight dazzle of the same sunbeam reflected by the earring of a woman passing by, that catches your eye. The elongated shadow of yourself, cast by the slanting sun, making you look slimmer and taller. The beautiful hue of your skin, painted a glorious gold by the sun’s loving caress. The way the ordinary greens of the leaves shimmers with a life of their own, in tune with the teasing breeze that is flirting with them. The slowly sinking golden globe playing hide and seek with buildings and trees, making you pause at every break in the skyline to catch a glimpse of the deliciously sensual warmth that he radiates with an explosion of colours.

The uplifted face of a three year old, welcoming the rushing wind as he enjoys a bike ride with his father. A group of college girls gossiping their way back home. Women returning from work munching on scalding hot bajjis just out of the frying pans. The busy juice stall where people are indulging in a refreshing drink. Young men in fitting jeans riding away to glory in their bikes. A sulky teenager pedalling lazily to his tuition. Aunties clad in silk saris waddling their way to the bus stop, may be to attend some wedding, the oh so white and soft jasmine leaving a beguiling scent behind them. Kids weaving back and forth, across the streets unfazed by the irritating shrieks of horns that the drivers blow at them. An unexpected ‘manja’ line, ready to slice your throat and the skinny boy in shorts apologetically wounding the string into a ball, a torn kite tucked safely in his armpit. A young woman hugging her lover and happily distracting him from driving the bike. A sudden smile that blooms when you catch the eye of the mother struggling with the antics of her 2 year old.

The deep breath that people take involuntarily as they pass under the blooming parijatham tree, which had woven a beautiful carpet of orange and white beneath its awning branches. The startling gush of air as a speeding bike whizzes past you. The abandoned car covered with bird droppings. The way your heart swells as the beauty intoxicated blood infuses an indescribable sense of well being within you. The spring that automatically creeps into your step, with every other triviality that stretches your lips into a smile. The very slight sneer of superiority that you acquire – the byproduct of the general apathy displayed by the multitude around you, to all the glories that lay scattered around them. The slight tilt of the head which make you look down your nose on the other less appreciative passerbys.

And of course, a gleam in the eye of a fellow pedestrian, who in that brief microsecond, understands and nods back to you...making you realize that you are not the only one capable of appreciating all the simple wonders. And that instant when the smile sheds its sneer and becomes indulgent again...