After a long time, about 2 years, I returned to Bangalore. This city has got certain attraction towards it, may be the climate, the culture or just the people. I preferred Bangalore to all the other places I visited.
At around 10 am, I and my friends were all at high spirit after a healthy bath, that doesn’t mean we didn’t have a bath for days. We three looked in mixed attires, freaky and funky. We were to set out for a ride through places which were once our thoroughfare.
We all were sipping cup of coffee, Wow! After a long time the real taste of coffee made my mouth tangy and the aroma pleased my passion for it. I slurped out the last drop from the cup with full exstasy. Every eye pointed at me as if asking “What’s this buddy, you may love coffee but try to spare the cup”. By then another mate dropped in with his tamed beast to pick us. I sat along side the driver and remaining two at back.
In no time after our start, my ear drum vibrated like hell; for the howl of our beast on spotting a hawker. It was the vegetable vendor busy earning his bread. He moved aside creating space for us. We headed towards main road. To my surprise, for only few things rest all have changed. There were huge cliffs with so many caves. Thanks to the technology which took life to those heights. But the technology always has its price tag. I asked my friend, how much it costs per square feet. After I heard him a bee made fly past through my mouth.
The bumpy drive over the pot holes which played hide and seek on the road for 15 min made me desperate for a stop over, and my wish was honoured with the lamp turning red at the signal. We stood amidst other beasts. Smaller two wheeled animals flocked in their own style and occupied our safe area, which made me feel even a slight miss of track will have its effect on our beast. I mean a scar (scratch) or fracture (dent). From the left side an iron head seated on two wheeled creature turned towards me, developing curiosity. The iron head was split and opened up with soft tender hands revealing the face. The deer asked me the way to a lake in the jungle. My friend guided her. I was mesmerized by her beauty creating an opportunity for fly past of another bee through my mouth.
The signal lamp changed its color from red to yellow. All the beasts started roaring ready to reveal their potentials. The lamp color was at yellow, the countdown showed six seconds remaining and half the beasts kicked off form stop in a mad manner as something has attacked them, without bothering about their jungle mate who were crossing them in front and those standing with them. The beasts breathed out cloud of smoke loaded with CO2, CO and other stuff which engulfed the surrounding area. I was inhaling hydrocarbons, dust and other susceptible particles which were enjoying their joyous flight without knowing the harmfulness they can develop for animals in the jungle The smell of hydrocarbons was so strong that one could rarely feel the cost of crude hovering around 65$ a barrel .
The ride was strenuous and we couldn’t even decelerate for the fear of being run over by co-beasts which were in their own hurry. All the beasts including ours slowed down for the track had become narrow due to the man made vale at the side. Those vales looked like trace of a furious stream finding its path through the mountains. It was the courtesy of the service providers. Obviously all the beasts had to slow down for the fear of falling into the vale. We managed through the narrow stretch which took 20 min of our drive before we hit the main road which was just like the Mother Nature had spread her tender arms to comfort us. Now I got the solution for my anxiety, to see the growth rate in big monsters (SUV’s & MPV’s). I felt those cross country rides in the concrete jungle might have created a craze among the people to run for these monsters in spite of the difficulty to manage them on these narrow and curvy tracks. The heat of our beast made me look at the mercury in the gauge; shooting high as the sun reached the point blank position over earth. I was sweating as if just out of shower, the climate was sultry which made me very much uncomfortable. To my good luck there was no A/C in the car, yeah! I m against A/C for the CFC it contains and the heat it induces in the body.
“OOOOPS, Am I in the same place where I lived two years before?” where the words rocking my mind. The movement of my upper body was blocked by the cross strap with which I self locked myself to the seat. Einstein’s theory of relative motion came to a halt which made me focus my vision to the board in front bearing the words “Restaurant “.
It was LUNCHTIME.
The safari took 30 minutes from our den to the restaurant, but now it is about 1.5 hrs. And the beauty of the ride is once you reach your destination you are ready with free make up of hydrocarbons and natural dust.
This was my experience through the concrete jungle which was once a beautiful blend of nature and man made jungle in right proportion and a beautiful place to feel the life and live. The run for man made luxury and comforts in this technological world has created surge in concrete jungles. Though we cannot be total nature`s child in this technological world. It’s high time we think about the future generations and make some efforts to maintain the aspects of natural living.
Penned By
Jayen
