The early morning sights, sounds and smells of Kochi.

My heart's a'flutter and the doctor has advised me to work out more and as a follow through, I've begun to go on a morning jog/brisk walk over a stretch of six and a half kms in addition to my evening work outs.

And today's was my first outing before sunrise. As the sights, sounds and smells of the city hit me with an electrifying intensity - the contrast to that of the Delhi Cantt premises is drastic but, every place has its 'USP' - and I shall try to list them out, at random, as I can recall:-

(a) The chanting of prayers and mantras, accompanied by the clanking of bells and recorded devotional songs wafting from the music system of the temples.
(b) Believers making a beeline to the places of worship to pay obeisance to their gods.
(c) Strong smell of burning incence sticks and camphor(was pleasantly surprised that quite a few auto rickshaw drivers and taximen resorted to this activity - perhaps, praying for anticipatory bail from their gods for the fleecing they'd do on their customers during the course of the day!).
(d) The aroma of fresh, crisp dosas being made on the hot metallic plates with the accompanying smell of the gruelly 'sambar'.
(e) Thick plumes of cigarette smoke accompanied by the smell of burning tobacco, especially at street corners where the auto rickshaw stands are.
(f) Children - many of them accompanied by parents - pouring into the numerous pick up points to be in time for their school buses.
(g) People making a beeline to hop on to the early morning buses/autorickshaws and taxis - depending on the quantum of luggage and their levels of affluence, strictly in that order - to catch the first train, RTC buses or even flights to reach their destinations.
(h) Gentlemen and ladies in fancy jog wear(I was amused by a portly gentleman with his 'mundu' at half mast, huffing and puffing on his flashy pair of Reeboks, with an umbrella tucked under his left arm. However, hats off to his spirit!)
(j) Senior citizens, who move in dignified groups, in serious discussions.
(k) The tea stall vendors, dotting the roads, busy making the 'one yarder tea' while spinning a yarn to the listeners (usually drawn from the attendants to the patients admitted in the nearby hospitals).
(l) Hordes of blabbering migrant labour - with a generous sprinkling of Tamilians - awaiting their transport that will fetch them to their working sites.
(m) And surprise of surprises, with rapid urbanisation and consequent depletion of livestock being maintained by the people, the calls of a faraway rooster and the 'caw caws' of the insistent crows made the atmosphere a trifle noisy yet assuring!

Today, thus, there was no scope for reflection as I was taking in everything as they came by. Probably, as I get used to them I'll have time to reflect!

At the end of it, I felt light, fresh and was raring to go. Moreover, pangs of hunger had set in!!