This morning, I went for a jog in the hills on the edge of the city. Later, I went to my perch to catch the sunrise. All the previous times I had been there, I had about a gaggle of fellow sunrise-catchers for company. The more spiritual among them would chant 'Om' as the sun broke over the Parsik hills that castle Thane city from the East. But, today, I had no one else for company. I thought maybe the haze that hung over the city had dissuaded the sunrise-catchers. I had scant hope of seeing a sunrise through the smoky fog but stuck around nevertheless for the view and the solitude.
It is quite a panoramic sight and I haven't seen anything as beautiful in my city. On the left is the dense tree cover of Yeoor Hills. On the right, the city is laid out in what seems like vertical layers--starting from a settlement immediately below, followed by a field, another settlement, the highrises cloaked in haze and finally the Parsik Hills. As I have written before, from this perch, my claustrophobic, smoky, maddening hometown feels benign. They say distance makes the heart grow fonder. But this kind of fondness doesn't push you towards the object of your fondness. In fact, the fondness is contingent on the distance. Thane city from a distance seems much more manageable than when I am in the thick of it. Maybe the same can be said about my relationship with India, although I don't want to open a can of worms here that will keep me up for the rest of the night.
Another reason I am glad I stayed back despite the haze is that I was actually able to catch the sunrise. When I was least expecting it, the glowing orb bobbed up from behind the hills. And once the sun had definitively risen a crowd of trekkers arrived at the spot. That was my cue to make myself scarce.
It is quite a panoramic sight and I haven't seen anything as beautiful in my city. On the left is the dense tree cover of Yeoor Hills. On the right, the city is laid out in what seems like vertical layers--starting from a settlement immediately below, followed by a field, another settlement, the highrises cloaked in haze and finally the Parsik Hills. As I have written before, from this perch, my claustrophobic, smoky, maddening hometown feels benign. They say distance makes the heart grow fonder. But this kind of fondness doesn't push you towards the object of your fondness. In fact, the fondness is contingent on the distance. Thane city from a distance seems much more manageable than when I am in the thick of it. Maybe the same can be said about my relationship with India, although I don't want to open a can of worms here that will keep me up for the rest of the night.
Another reason I am glad I stayed back despite the haze is that I was actually able to catch the sunrise. When I was least expecting it, the glowing orb bobbed up from behind the hills. And once the sun had definitively risen a crowd of trekkers arrived at the spot. That was my cue to make myself scarce.
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