describe an early morning walk through your city or town in winter.give details of the smells,sights,sounds,and feelings you experinced.
Answers
We left home around 6 A.M., clad in winter wear of pullovers and jeans, with woollen undervests, mufflers wrapped around our necks. All of us wore woollen caps.
During the walk, we discovered the serenity of our locality, especially as not many motor vehicles crossed us. The birds seemed to have already woken up as we could hear their chirps and caws. One of my friends occasionally threw roasted grams and the little sparrows swooped down on them in a flash.
After a while, we reached the local market, where the smell of samosas and kachauris being fried wafted into our nostrils. We saw a few people outside the market sitting around a small fire they had lit to keep themselves warm. We decided to have tea from the stall at the roadside; this was served to us in disposable polystyrene glasses, which is always hygienic to use. The tea-stall owner had done his morning puja after opening the shop, which was evident from the incense sticks that had already burnt down to the last centimetre.
After having tea, we resumed our walk and in some time crossed the Railway station, where we could see people trickling in to catch the morning local trains to work. We carried on with our walk and reached the Bus Stand after a while, where too we could see the morning rush of daily passengers. At the Bus Stand, we had piping hot puris, with an equally tasty vegetable curry and chutney for accompaniment.
It was now 7:45 A.M. and we needed to get back home, so decided to return but by taking another route. It took us close to half an hour to get home, during which time we saw further parts of the city bathed in morning sunshine. The clock tower stood tall, among all the structures that we crossed on our way back. The leaves of the newly planted shrubs in the road dividers glistened in the soft winter sunshine. Our huge Central Park looked majestic, playing host to morning walkers who had come in large numbers.
It was around 8:20 A.M. by the time we got home.
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‘Clank, clank‘ the sound of hoofs on the metalled road, followed by someone bellowing “Aside, please’’ jolted me to my senses. I moved towards the pavement in the narrow street that wound its way steeply descending towards Mallital on the other side of Nainital lake.
A thick fog hung around the valley below, denying daybreak. The golden haze of the sun drifting through the mist spreading its golden light on the lush green mountain slopes below memorized me. I was so enthralled by the scenic beauty that I ventured out for an early morning walk, despite being a habitual late riser.
The otherwise crowded street in the market below seemed to be gradually coming out of slumber. Porters with heavy baggage were shuffling on the street. People could be seen covered with woolen clothes. The spicy aroma of 'samosas' and 'jalebis' wafted through the air, from a nearby roadside dabha. The owner seemed to be doing brisk business, serving tea and snacks to the tourists crowded around makeshift tables and chairs. The attendant's enthusiastic yelling of ‘chai, chai’ seemed an aberration to the otherwise serene soundings. The newspaper hawkers with newspapers stacked on their bicycles raced on the street. Small shops selling milk and bread were also doing brisk business.
Now before me was the famous Nainital lake. I sat on a bench facing the lake, which seemed to be extremely quiet and peaceful. The eerie silence is broken by the splashing of waves, striking the shore. The mountains could be seen covered with snow. The tranquillity of the sound of waves was short-lived by the shrill chirping of a flock of birds, which descended around the lake, in search of prey. A gentle breeze brought with it the pungent smell of weeds stagnating on the lakeside.
I decided to return home. By now, the sun had successfully pierced through the dense clouds clearing the mist and fog. The streets had suddenly come to life. The honking of horns, whistling of porters, and the trotting of mules on the streets, had indeed heralded the arrival of a new day, bringing with it new hopes.