My friendly, furry neighbours
My new workplace is quite far away by Bangalore standards, which is a combination of distance and traffic. With Vijay's office also not being close to where we live presently, it made sense to move to some place closer. Therefore for a series of weekends we went around the city, scouting for a more suitable accommodation.
Alas! It wasn't as simple as I thought it would turn out to be! Aside from the rates, which, by the way shot up in areas that we preferred, something or the other was never right. Either the ventilation wasn't good or the parking wasn't spacious enough. If both these factors were taken care of, the locality was not to our liking. But the one factor that eventually changed my mind and made me stay put in our current apartment is the greenery - and the friendly, furry neighbours that reside in it.
You see, I live at the top floor of a stand-alone apartment block. It is open from two sides ensuring free flowing breeze and ample sunlight. Since the Madiwala lake is at walking distance, it ensures that the breeze is 'air-conditioned' before it reaches us - at least most of the time!
The best part, however, is the presense of a number of trees - Almond and Coconut - right outside my balcony. The result is a green canopy that is soothing to the senses. All I need to do when I need a change is to stand at the balcony and take in the sight; rather - breathe in the sight.
But the cherry on the cake is the family of squirrels that resides in this cluster of trees.
Amazingly energetic, acrobatic and spirited, the squirrels tear through the green landscape, leaping across branches, twisting around twigs, balancing precariously all the while. The way they move from one tree to another would give Tarzon a complex! Up, down, right, left; they traverse the web of leaves and twigs and branches as if it were a high speed network of highways.
When they are not playing, they are eating. And watching them eat is a delight! Their tiny months chomp away rapidly while their intent black eyes look out for more food. And my... can they eat in any position? Oh yes! be it hanging upside down or perched dangerously at the edge of a twig, these creatures surely know how to combine adventure with gastronomic delights!
Their shrill calls are often the first sounds that I hear when I wake up in the morning. When I need some cheering up, often what works is the sight of these cute neighbours in action. Their tiny hands, sincere eyes and amazingly cuddly tiny torsos never fail to make me smile!
The day we almost finalized a deal in far away Sadanandnagar I realized how much I would miss my furry friends. The fact is, I haven't had enough of their mischief.
In a city far away from one's native place, it is these small things that make a house, a home.
This is what gives Bangalore some semblence of Dun - at least to me.
Therefore, until my heart is strong enough to be able to create a home once again in another locality all by itself, I am sticking right here... with my furry friends, no matter how many traffic jams I need to endure and how many hours I waste on the road!
Alas! It wasn't as simple as I thought it would turn out to be! Aside from the rates, which, by the way shot up in areas that we preferred, something or the other was never right. Either the ventilation wasn't good or the parking wasn't spacious enough. If both these factors were taken care of, the locality was not to our liking. But the one factor that eventually changed my mind and made me stay put in our current apartment is the greenery - and the friendly, furry neighbours that reside in it.
You see, I live at the top floor of a stand-alone apartment block. It is open from two sides ensuring free flowing breeze and ample sunlight. Since the Madiwala lake is at walking distance, it ensures that the breeze is 'air-conditioned' before it reaches us - at least most of the time!
The best part, however, is the presense of a number of trees - Almond and Coconut - right outside my balcony. The result is a green canopy that is soothing to the senses. All I need to do when I need a change is to stand at the balcony and take in the sight; rather - breathe in the sight.
But the cherry on the cake is the family of squirrels that resides in this cluster of trees.
Amazingly energetic, acrobatic and spirited, the squirrels tear through the green landscape, leaping across branches, twisting around twigs, balancing precariously all the while. The way they move from one tree to another would give Tarzon a complex! Up, down, right, left; they traverse the web of leaves and twigs and branches as if it were a high speed network of highways.
When they are not playing, they are eating. And watching them eat is a delight! Their tiny months chomp away rapidly while their intent black eyes look out for more food. And my... can they eat in any position? Oh yes! be it hanging upside down or perched dangerously at the edge of a twig, these creatures surely know how to combine adventure with gastronomic delights!
Their shrill calls are often the first sounds that I hear when I wake up in the morning. When I need some cheering up, often what works is the sight of these cute neighbours in action. Their tiny hands, sincere eyes and amazingly cuddly tiny torsos never fail to make me smile!
The day we almost finalized a deal in far away Sadanandnagar I realized how much I would miss my furry friends. The fact is, I haven't had enough of their mischief.
In a city far away from one's native place, it is these small things that make a house, a home.
This is what gives Bangalore some semblence of Dun - at least to me.
Therefore, until my heart is strong enough to be able to create a home once again in another locality all by itself, I am sticking right here... with my furry friends, no matter how many traffic jams I need to endure and how many hours I waste on the road!
And you forgot so many uninvited guests who invite themselves over for a cup of steaming tea or a nice meal of pasta ... How much they will miss you being a hop skip and jump away :P..
ReplyDeleteBy the way, a comfort zone atleast in the form of a known locality and nice environs is required when u are going through lots of change...
Enjoy your flurry friends and do feed the hungry souls which invite themselves over :D
Reminds me of Hindi poetess ode to the squirrel- Gillu by Mahadevi Verma. She does end the story with a small tragedy- the remorse of finding Gillu lying inert.
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