The morning at Vizag

The air smelt of camphor and incense, there was a beautiful music of a double reed flute and the divine chants of Sri Sooktam in the background. The darkness which had engulfed my eyes was reducing, I pandiculated and rubbed my eyes. The flute music was my cellphone’s ringtone and my aunt was praying. The cellphone’s panels displayed, ‘Tejasvi’.

” this oaf never gets up before 8:00 in the morning” I thought to myself and looked out. The sun rays were quite dull and the morning mist had not completely evaporated, It was surely not even 6:00 in the morning.

“What are you upto?” I asked drowsily.

 He laughed and asked “are you in Vizag?”

“Yes, who told you?”

“No one!  I guessed so.” He laughed, “You are the only rival I have in terms of attendance shortage.”

“you did not answer my question. What are you upto?” I insisted.

“What makes you think that way. I just wanted to wish you good morning.” He said with deliberate earnestness in his tone.

“You are the biggest oaf I know. Out with the truth! Why did you call so early?” I smirked.

He cursed and replied, “There is a college fest in Puri’s college, I would pick you up at 7:30. Now get up you pig and get ready.”

He hanged the phone.

I checked out the time, it was still 5:30 in the morning and I was still quite tired. I slept again.

The sun was streaming in through the window; the maid’s loud banter was accentuating the inconvenience and then the sound of alarm. My eyes were wide open all signs of drowsiness had vanished. I got out of the bed and lazily brushed my teeth, and went out to the terrace. The early morning air in Vizag is quite unique. Unlike Jamshedpur where the early morning air is fresh and sweet here it is fresh and salty, perhaps it is the proximity to the sea that brought the effect or perhaps it is just my imagination. The coconut palm trees and the jasmine climbers perched on the walls filled my heart with joy, scampering squirrels and still kingfishers topped with a distant call of a cuckoo, the morning was perfect. I watched the big orange sphere in the east turn yellow as it gained altitude. I closed my eyes feeling the heat on my eyes and the cool gentle breeze on my face.

“orEy! Donkey …”

I turned around to find the source of the not-at-all-pleasing glib call. Tejasvi was grinning from the staircase.

“You said you would be coming at 7:30”, I accused.

“I changed my plans, I thought I would be finding you at the beach, you are improving I see.” He giggled.

I was furious at the sarcasm. Cursing him, I got down into the house along with him. I took a speedy 20 minute shower and gobbled up the Upma, we laughed when he said that even he had Upma that day.

At 7:30 we started, we had reached Isukatota junction when I had a brainwave to go along the beach road. He protested that he did not know the way to get back onto the highway but then finally yielded to my insistences.  Taking a 360 degree turn we headed towards beach road.  Mornings on the beach is stunning; free from the crowds and hawkers, there were the joggers, the sand, foam, gulls, kingfishers, dogs , screwpines and an occasional carcass of an Olive riddley turtle. We could see the fishing yachts right below the sun in the horizon and a big, lonely ship at some distance away from them.

I was admiring the Sea till the moment the beautiful sea was obscured with large Casuarinas. I looked around we had reached Rushikonda beach.

“Hey! We have come off too far!” I exclaimed , “you should have taken the diversion just before GITAM college.”

He cursed out aloud, a few passers-by looked at us, I smiled politely.

The diversion was a narrow, rarely used street to one side of which was the Zoo. More curses followed appended to my name all along the 4 kilometre long stretch connecting beach road to National Highway 4. He had always hated such narrow, lonely, wild paths but I was enchanted by the sheer wilderness which we were experiencing that morning. NH4 took out all the excitement of the journey and instead filled it with exhaust fumes.

It was 9:00 when we reached our destination.