Reflections on Water

As I travel on the roads of Delhi, the unending layers of roads, cars, grand houses and flyovers seem to close in and I yearn for a break in the horizon where the layers would end and beyond that would be the sparkling of water.

Living next to the water has always been a yearning of mine. I am not a swimmer or a water-baby really. But to have the sight of moving water with its changing colours and moods is incredibly soothing and therapeutic; especially for a hot-tempered person like me.

In Bombay our apartment on Breach Candy was on the 23rd floor. When we did our first inspection the place had not been lived in for a year and looked pretty grim. But when I saw the picture windows all around the house with a view of the sea and the skyline all the way to Juhu, it was a no-brainer. It was the most beautiful house I have lived in – not in terms of grandeur but the vista it presented 24/7. We looked at the sea in high tide and low. In the monsoons we could see grey clouds breaking over the water in the distance and with immense speed the rains would move forward. Within minutes, we would be drenched standing at the French windows. Even as I bathed I got a view of the water with Hajiali in the background.

Before we moved to this house we lived for many months at the Marine Plaza on Marine Drive. Our sea-facing room had the sun-setting gloriously every evening and the water shimmered all through the day. I could sit and stare all day and not be bored.

Rivers are equally fascinating. When we went to Haridwar as children, I would sit on the ghats and watch fascinated as the Ganga churned its way along. During our trips to Badrinath, we followed the Alaknanda upstream – ferociously beautiful and awe-inspiring. Nowadays, when we go with our kids to Rishikesh and stay at the ashram the biggest attraction for all of us is the Ganga flowing right behind it with the forests of the Rajaji National Park green and silent on the other bank. We sit at the riverside as children collect pebbles and wave at the occasional boat passing by.

Back in Delhi, there is no such view to savour. When I think that we may have settled here for good, I feel quite rebellious! Eventually I will have a place which brings water to my doorstep and where I can sit outdoors and stare at the constant flow and the changing colours.