What is carrot to a donkey is what owning a house to a guy like me ! When I could afford X amount for purchase of a property, the price was 2x. When I reach 2x stage, it sells at 4X. But I have innovative ways to overcome this frustration !

When I came to this city on my official transfer, I set out to find a house on rent. I could find one independent house, at last, for a reasonable rent, Overlooking my house was a big lake ! There were not many houses in the vicinity and proper roads were yet to be formed. But I settled for this house, since I loved to be away from the noise and congestion and what better place I could get , when there was a lake near my house ? There was a muddy track from my house to the main road, which was 1 furlong away. The surrounding area near my house was open area and my children were happy with the prospect of playing cricket there. I had a pet dog with me , a German Sheperd, and we called her Pinky. She was enjoying her new found freedom like nobody's business !

I occupied the house, in the end of May, just before the onset of monsoon. The lake was half full and we used to have a morning and evening walk on the lake bund, sit on a culvert there and enjoy nature, while Pinky would try to catch and eat anything from a fish to frogs ! All this was good till........

I woke up in the middle of night and found that there was a power cut and it was total darkness outside. Monsoon rains had started and it was a torrential rain on that night. In fact, it had been raining since three days and we could not have our morning/ evening walk schedules. Never mind, I came out of the house and stood near the portico.

What is this strange sound, besides the sound of rain , lightning and thunder ? I could not make it out. It was unmistakable , a continuous sound and I could not pinpoint either the source or the reason. After standing there for several minutes, I got back inside and went to sleep. Next day morning, when I woke up and came out, I was shocked to see the scene ! The lake was full and the overflowing waters, through a storm water drain was full with gushing waters, and overflowing all around ! Now, I cannot cross this overflowing stream to the other side to go anywhere ! Nevertheless, the scene was good enough to enjoy. We go on excursions, spend money on hotels and enjoy nature in some hill resort or in a forest. This did not make any great difference. All the ingredients of an excursion tour, free , was there for us to enjoy, without a dime to spend. I got inside the house and the first thing was to phone up to my office and apply for 4 days leave, suffixing a Sunday ! Hell with this office, I thought. Of course, for my children, it was still vacation time and they were equally happy.

Pinky was looking at all of us with expectation and enthusiasm and was ready for an outing !

First thing first. We set out to see the 'river' in front of my house. My eldest son suggested that we could give a 'bath' to Pinky. Of course, Pinky did not know these diabolic plans. It ran happily, in the front, swishing its bushy tail. We went there, sat on the culvert connecting our track- road to the other side. Water was overflowing the stone by one foot, but still, we were able to sit on that, with our legs inside water completely and water flowing up to our hips. Pinky was pushed into the water and she swam and came near us. Giving her a scrub with the soap, she was again pushed into the water. After 15 minutes of this exercise, we decided to come back, have breakfast and go there again.

It was very enjoyable, for the next two days, till such time the overflow receded to a normal flow of water, under the stone.

The rain had stopped and we played 'cricket' with a tennis ball. Pinky was the permanent fielder and she did the job quite well. Only hazzle was after picking the ball, she would not come to us, but would run on the opposite direction. But, all this was sheer enjoyment and we liked it very much. There is something still to write on this topic , but I will give you a small respite. Meantime please have a cup of blended Darjeeling tea with a biscuit; come within 15 minutes and continue reading. Alright ?

I have come back, as I have promised, to continue on my little story. I stayed in that house for two years and thereafter changed my residence. This one is also an independent house, but not as big as the earlier one; besides there is no lake. But, that was not a problem. Instead of a lake, there is a big pond , where a water plant , covers up the water surface almost fully, and there are some small trees of thorny bushes also, which have grown inside the pool. I can see a lot of birds of different species , with sparkling colours inhabit this water source. If they do not differentiate and are happy to come here, why should I have a complaint ? Every morning, I come up to the terrace and watch them. They are in groups and they seem to care for each other. There is no quarrel amongst them ! How nice it could be, if I can fly ? But in my dreams, I have had this experience of flying ! even while descending the stairs, I would fly down instead of walking down the steps. These little birds have no requirements in life other than their biological needs. That is the reason why they are happy. I used to feel that contentment /happiness versus goals/achievements in life are inversely proportional ! We do not know our life priorities and chase mirages, which also extend beyond our reach !

Regards

Ramani