I'm sitting in my balcony right now, and as I put my head back, deeply inhaling the cool breeze. It smells of something..I try to recall what, but I can't really put a finger on it. Maybe it just smells like the night..with its serene blackness. I look up at the stars. They never fail to fascinate me, the glittering multitude, as they look down upon us. The sky here in Pilani looks beautiful and clear; unlike Delhi where one can hardly see them..its almost as if you can talk to them while they silently wink at you from the heavens.
I close my eyes and hear the breeze as it rustles through the leaves that are now dry. A cricket begins to chirp somewhere far off.
I think about everything that happened today. Nothing special. Just a lot of ordinary events,people, conversations..... as they cascade through my mind.
I try to relax, and not think about anything. Just for the moment, all I want to listen to is the music of the night and all I want to see is this place bathed in the milky moonlight.
I switch off my phone. No. No phone calls, no messages for now.
A random song gets stuck in my head. I hum for a while, and then give up.
I try concentrating on the stars again, seeing if I can identify any constellations. Maybe if I'm lucky I'll find a shooting star...maybe I'll make a wish.
Hmmm.. so there's the belt of Orion. And ..erm.... well... I can't really make out anything else.
Sometimes, when I look at the stars I wonder if they have a mind of their own. Do they look down upon all of us, and do they know my thoughts as I look at them?
And then a very stupidly sensible thought comes into my mind: Every person whom I ever knew, every person whom I will ever know. Every person who has touched my life.. or who one day will walk into my life.. the same stars shine down upon them.
Its a very plain, obvious fact, but it still mystifies me. What would they say? Do they have any advice to offer?
