What time do you go to bed and wake up currently?
The narrative depicts the daily life of a retired individual who wakes at 4:00 A.M., maintaining a routine of morning walks, interspersed with reflections on personal well-being and solitude. He grapples with the humidity of summer and power outages, often finding solace in the early morning atmosphere. His life now revolves around writing, reading, and photography, pursuits he undertakes with a sense of simplicity and minimalism. Unlike many of his peers who crave engagement post-retirement, he exhibits contentment in solitude, valuing quiet introspection. His evenings conclude the day with modest meals and news updates, ultimately fostering gratitude for life’s experiences.
As night passed, a new dawn took its place. Gradually but surely, the dawn expanded its wings. The first sign was seen as the sky gets lighter.
He usually rises at about 4:00 A.M. It is when, after a lull of a few hours, darkness gives way to daybreak. Nature begins to stretch, and the bustle of life starts. It was his routine time, which he still follows. His biological clock has set suitably, but with a slight intermittent variation and deviations. Sometimes he gets up late, after the sun starts shining, but it is not frequent.
He usually goes for a walk in the morning. Usually, because it was a routine which he occasionally breaks due to the health conditions of his spouse. His routines are “controlled” by certain factors, and the health condition of his spouse is one of them. Wandering in the freshness of morning time charges him for whole of the whole day. It is good for him because morning is the time when nature is at her best.
June had ended. One sultrier and more humid month had passed. The month was a time of inactivity because of the humid and uncomfortable weather. Days used to be hot with blazing oriental sun, and nights were sultry and humid. The only respite was a lone ceiling fan, which tirelessly worked to circulate the air. It became very uncomfortable during the outage, which is frequent and long. Walking was not possible during the hot and humid weather. He stayed at home, circumambulating on the open terrace.
His slumber broke. He woke up drenched in copious perspiration. As usual, the electricity had gone, and so had the fan. Getting up, he went up to the open terrace. There was no respite there, either. The air was still and heavy. Humidity made it even more difficult, but being in the open was enough. It was 4:30 AM. He began walking in circles on the roof.
A star-studded sky is now a rare occurrence. He looked up. Hardly a few stars were visible in the sky, which was changing from black to lustrous pearl-black. The stars gradually vanished as the darkness receded. The eastern side of the sky had begun to change dramatically to a shade of pink. It was the predeclaration that My Lord, the sun, is about to arrive. The small patches of clouds had started becoming pink and crimson. Their accentuated look gave a dimension to the sky.
Birds had started their activities. Rock pigeons and doves had started an orchestra, and the symphony was adding an extra layer to the beautiful ambience. All looked good except for the humid and hot weather. Suddenly, a wisp of breeze blew, refreshing the environment. He kept walking up on the floor, thinking and conversing to himself. He thanked the unseen but the most powerful, the Almighty, for allowing him to watch such a wonderful sight.
There was a thunderstorm a day before yesterday. For a brief period, it became pleasant, but soon it returned to hot and humid. The monsoon is yet to arrive. The overcast skies lure without pouring.
The bell rang. His spouse was calling downstairs. The tea was ready. He went to have his morning tea. After having a glass of tea with biscuits, he rinsed and washed his glass and came to his favourite small room, which he called “study”.
His days used to be hectic and busy, running on his toes for the whole day. It was when he was in the job, but now he has no work schedule as such. His life was free of all obligations and commitments to work since his superannuation, and the pressure was offloaded. He never lamented about the “shortage of time”, nor did he complain about having an excessive workload as his peers would do. Now, when he was relieved from his responsibilities, he feels free and light. Does he really feel unburdened?
It is nearly impossible to be totally free and feel light till one breathes. Yet, people can channelise their life and energy. Those who like to be in the limelight after they are superannuated, invest their time and energy in getting things that can keep them in the spotlight and “busy”. Having no work, they exploit their contact to get an engagement. Some try to explore possibilities in the political field, while some pursue their favourite hobby. In any case, it is good that they try to keep themselves engaged and involved. It gives them the satisfaction of being productive.
His conditions were different. He has always been a solitary person, having limited resources. He preferred to lead the rest of his life in oblivion, wanting no limelight. He reads, writes and occasionally takes pictures. He doesn’t know about the quality and impact of his writing. The only thing he knows is that it provides him with a way to share his pent-up feelings and experiences with the world.
Photography has always been his hobby, but he is still in the process of learning. He doesn’t consider himself more than an amateur. He has nothing special that he can boast about. His life is simple, minimalistic, and self-contained, with occasional commotion. What else can he expect from life?
Taking out his tablet computer, he started typing. Words, born in mind, joined together in a form of sentences, started appearing on the screen. He kept on writing (or typing) whatever came to his mind. He continued with his writing job for about two hours. His hands stopped, but his mind did not. Streams of thoughts continued to pour in, but he stopped for a while. It was 10 AM, and the sun had started blazing. The sky was full of patches of White clouds bordered with brown-black colour that were drifting slowly, making different shapes. Occasional birds were competing with the clouds, soaring high, and they seemed to fly along with the clouds. A light breeze had started, though it was easterly, which did not help in lowering the humidity level. Sitting under the fan, he was watching the sky.
After a while, he returned to his self. He gazed at the bookshelf and pulled out a book. It was a book on Indian Philosophy. He started reading it, but before reading, he scanned it. He had been a student of life science but is equally keen on Philosophy, history, and culture. He is not an expert but likes to know and tries to understand them. He never considered himself an expert, but people often consult him and want to have his views on any topic of general interest. Sometimes, people would consult him on service matters, which he renders according to his knowledge and experience. His experience in service, nonetheless, was unlike that of those employed in the government sector.
He lives in his house alone with his spouse. They occasionally have tiffs, which is natural and found in every relationship, but both are caring. He glanced at his wristwatch. It was 11:55 AM. Closing his book, he went downstairs to take up his routine freshening-up drill. After having a refreshing bath, he felt good. The heat subsided, and the fan appeared cooler than usual.
Mangoes used to lure him since childhood. He is deeply fond of mangoes and enjoys eating them. He never says no to mangoes. After taking a bath and relaxing for a while, his spouse informed him that the mangoes were ready. He ate them and had a glassful of milk. It was enough for the day. He lay down on the bed and gradually fell asleep. After his siesta was over, he woke up at about 3:30 PM. He never watches TV. He checks the news and updates daily on his computer, and in the evening, he watches detailed news reports on the same device. The computer is his essential gadget, without which life would not be as easy as he is experiencing it now. All his works are performed on a computer or a smartphone. In the technology-driven Era, computers play a crucial role in making payments, purchasing, and ticket booking, as well as entertainment. You name it and you have it.
His day ends when it is virtually two hours past in the next day. He usually takes dinner after midnight, from 00:30 to 00:45 AM at night. His dinner is frugal and very simple. His plate holds two “Chapati” (flat bread cooked on a flat iron plate known as “Tavā”), “Dal” (lentils, finely cooked and tempered) and some vegetables cooked dry. While dining he watches news reports on his computer. After his dinner is over, he washes his utensils, brushes his teeth and watches some more interesting content on the computer.
As the stillness of night deepens, he finishes his daily chores and prepares to sleep. On a quiet night, when there is no sound except for the occasional dog barking, the whole ambience appears to take a rest. He closes his computer, wraps up its paraphernalia, and packs them up to keep them safe upstairs in the “study”. After finishing it all, he switched off the light and sank into deep sleep. More often than not, he diligently thanks the Almighty for everything.
-END-
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