How does it feel when a tall wall comes between you and the rising sun? How does a child take it?
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“This giant stole our sky?!”
When we set about hunting for a house, our seven-year old declared very matter-of-factly that all we should ensure is at least one balcony that offered a forest-view with the sky over it. Of late he was very much into Tarzan and Mowgli and had also gone for an overnight camp in the city outskirts near a mini-forest. For him it was cool to dwell just next to a jungle. The denser it is, the more the thrill. I was not alarmed. As far as his imagination stretched, an orchard over half an acre was a ‘real’ forest.
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The bolt from the blue came when a tall wall rose up over the huge meadow adjacent to our mango orchard, the board on it announcing the inception of a shopping mall. Merciless bulldozers ran amok over the soft green grass, truckloads of cement and sand arrived incessantly and sophisticated cranes got into serious operation – all undermining the landscape in a short span of time. The butterflies lost their homes and fluttered around helplessly for a few days before disappearing completely. The cuckoos’ melodious songs got lost somewhere in the droning of the concrete-mixers as floor after floor got added sending the rising structure soaring up higher and higher. Our neighbours rejoiced over the imminent rise in their property value, oblivious to the dust and noise filling the air. Before long, a mammoth structure stood proudly, towering over us. Only a small patch of blue sky managed to peer down at us from behind the summit of the high-rise.
We had lost those special moments forever when the birds greeted the morning sun as they soared up in the blue sky that hung over the meadow.
But the saddest moment came when our son came down during the summer vacation. Running to the balcony with his binoculars, his face fell as he screamed “This giant stole our sky?!”
.............................................
My book 'Rays and Rains' carries the entire story .....
.........................................
“This giant stole our sky?!”
When we set about hunting for a house, our seven-year old declared very matter-of-factly that all we should ensure is at least one balcony that offered a forest-view with the sky over it. Of late he was very much into Tarzan and Mowgli and had also gone for an overnight camp in the city outskirts near a mini-forest. For him it was cool to dwell just next to a jungle. The denser it is, the more the thrill. I was not alarmed. As far as his imagination stretched, an orchard over half an acre was a ‘real’ forest.
.....................................................................
.....................................................................
The bolt from the blue came when a tall wall rose up over the huge meadow adjacent to our mango orchard, the board on it announcing the inception of a shopping mall. Merciless bulldozers ran amok over the soft green grass, truckloads of cement and sand arrived incessantly and sophisticated cranes got into serious operation – all undermining the landscape in a short span of time. The butterflies lost their homes and fluttered around helplessly for a few days before disappearing completely. The cuckoos’ melodious songs got lost somewhere in the droning of the concrete-mixers as floor after floor got added sending the rising structure soaring up higher and higher. Our neighbours rejoiced over the imminent rise in their property value, oblivious to the dust and noise filling the air. Before long, a mammoth structure stood proudly, towering over us. Only a small patch of blue sky managed to peer down at us from behind the summit of the high-rise.
We had lost those special moments forever when the birds greeted the morning sun as they soared up in the blue sky that hung over the meadow.
But the saddest moment came when our son came down during the summer vacation. Running to the balcony with his binoculars, his face fell as he screamed “This giant stole our sky?!”
.............................................
My book 'Rays and Rains' carries the entire story .....
..............................................
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