20 minutes !

It's cold here in Delhi. The mercury is dipping, the days have become shorter and the nights even longer. One thing that I really like about these wintry nights is the silence that they bring with them. On a chilly winter night, the warmth of the quilt and a cup of tea, perhaps have been my perfect companions since childhood. As I introspect today I find nothing has changed. The winter is still the same, the silence is still profound, the quilt continues to shed its warmth, the tea continues to make my nights merrier but one phenomena that has become an essential part of my sojourn is "Solitude". I experience it every now and then, whether I am on a crowded street or on a deserted road, disregarding all notions of space and time, it just grips me up.

Recollecting one such evening when I was on my way back home, after a day of mindless and meaningless activities at work, where 9 hours seems like eternity, I decided to get down from the bus at the penultimate stop and a take a stroll back to my house. The weather was pleasant, dusk making way for the night to spread its cover. The streets were crowded hustling and bustling with people, draped in their winter attire, oblivious of their surroundings, some deeply engrossed in their own thoughts, some chatting with their friends while others lost in their world of cell phone. The street lights entrusted with the responsibility of dazzling the roads with bright light were in full charge. The shops along the roadside were drenched in white light. Everything seemed perfect. Even Delhi's traffic, which I have always found "pathetic", seemed to be oozing along, the buses speeding away, making way for the lighter vehicles. Everything seemed to compliment each other. Amidst all these invigorating sights, the sight of a flock of birds on their way back home, was indeed liberating. I felt happy. I felt relaxed. I experienced solitude. 20 minutes of walk gave me something to cherish, something to forget,  indeed a bouquet full of colorful moments !!