Sounds of the Day

It happened with me! Sudden thought of spending the day in cool composure as the Vedic commandments prescribed struck me once. The thrill of waking up at brahma mahurta had an embedded sense of purity. A thought engulfed that had something to do with cleansing regime as if that very moment a button will get pressed to flush out the agents of detoxification and adulteration to lift my health condition.

One discovery I made on that holy (as I felt and in the true sense) and unique day ­– how the entire span of time is calibrated by the sounds of myriad characteristics, which are unique and so delicately suggest the activity that usually takes place in that very particular moment of the day. It was a heartening discovery. The silence and peace within gave way to enjoy the sounds of universe.

The serenity in the early morning was painted by the torn clouds with golden border, the grey- reddish hue in the sky, the cool breeze, rustling of leaves and awakening of birds that tweeted with each other to plan the day's schedule. The occasional muted humming of a car suggested someone’s rush to airport. I thought of airport since only the call for early morning flight can drag me out of the bed at this time.

Half an hour passed and there was the low bass buzz of morning walkers. A hurried socialisation besides health care marked their day. Yes, it was gradually turning into an interesting game for otherwise “what I’m going to do now” kind of feeling, an adventure with sharpened sensory organs to find out the unseen. By now my alert mind could hear swish and thud in the air. I peeped through the window to discover that the lean man in the navy blue shorts was skipping on the green patch in front of the house.  At a distance laughing club enthusiasts got together and their full throated “hahaha” echoed around.

Some time passed and the first door bell rang. The cook of the house entered and casually placed the newspaper on the centre table. Another light thud! The next 45 minutes were punctuated by the series of ringing of door bell. This is the busiest time when footfalls in the house increase and we welcome our regular guests - cook, followed by washerwoman, car washer, and the maid who cleanses our house. The flurry of activities welcomed the bright sun. The meek in the morning was now showing its glare!

Clink and clatter in the kitchen, sound of falling water, the sweeps of the broom, thrash of the duster, screeching by furniture while they were being shoved around by our zealous maid generated a metallic symphony and prepared all for the day ahead full of work. But there I was idle for the day to capture the ignored sound. Car engines were by now energised and roaring to take off to their destinations. School buses honked loud to call the late comers.

By 9.30 the decibels slowly came down. From metallic sonority the ears once again turned to the sound of nature, namely chirping of birds. But for a short while. The civilization will never allowed the nature to rule hence entered the humming of the land mower to tame the growing grass.  Ohh, yes… a renovation was going on at the adjacent apartment. Screeching of stone cutting continued. And amidst these now there was a musical relief. The popular song streamed in from the distant house. The volume is high enough to muffle the voice of the poor birds.

It was the time for stay-at-home moms to catch up with the next-door pal while friskily arranging laundry on the clothesline in the balcony.  Didn’t mind to eavesdrop today and I directed my attention there. The discussion revolved around the anxiety of all mothers –where to send the kids for tuition. Their voice told who they were despite both the women remaining invisible to me. One’s pitch was slightly higher with more queries while other’s was the suppressed tone. The later must be the repository of information, quite habituated being frequently asked for information, I assumed.

The lazy afternoon put me to a quick siesta after laid-back lunch. This was followed by a cheerful evening, sipping a cup of aromatic tea and treating self with the playful clamour of the kids in the park. It was a privilege to have such a view from the balcony. The thumping of balls, the shriek and shouts of the children, squeaking of swings, crunching by the trolley wheels carrying babies on a pebbled sidewalk, the mothers’ laughter and loud conversations built an ideal fun-filled evening which gradually faded once the folks retired to their respective houses to prepare for the next day’s routine.

It was also the time for me to wrap up the day’s exploration of sound.  There was nothing more to chronicle about at home post evening other than the usual booming of TV.  Throughout the day I was a keen listener. Trailing the day through sounds appeared to me as a sort of reminder – we are fastened by time with a strong grip but there’s a beauty, the dormant harmony that signifies life.