On that particular day, i saw numerous young men walk the road below. In some time, there was a call of prayer from a mosque nearby. At that exact moment, in the apartment complex a Hindu family was ringing in a prayer with bells et al.

It was a moment of intense feeling of oneness of the God that we worship. An indescribable feeling. As the maulvi was calling out the faithful, the Hindu family below seemed to pray in cue ringing a bell. And Muslim men seemed to march to the bell.

But for those moments when the maulvi called and the bells rang, the goosebumps appeared on the skin like a thousand flowers blooming to an alarm clock ‘s chime !

And by the way, it was Oct 2nd. Gandhi’s birthday !

As i sat there, birds continued to rally around her. Her diving hands reaching the depths of the packs she had, only to toss the feed with great care and finesse.

At that precise moment the diversity, depth and the omnipresence of kindness in every human being over awed me. The sheer possibility for each of us to impact every living being around us, simply lifted me to a different zone.

Clicked at Taj Malabar, Cochin

As i swung, the moisture laden breeze stoked the face. The sun was setting. And And at that moment, the fleeting nature of our problems, joys, anxieties and glories came alive. It seemed to me, that the swing there was giving me lessons…..

That to stay present and sensitive to people around, was how one could stay rooted. That it was OK to fail, but more important to try with imagination. That it was OK to differ, but important to differ with grace ! And no matter what the world thought, it was OK to be a simple ordinary bloke who did his bit in a quiet unobtrusive corner.

And for a good time, i was one. With myself. With that water. That floor. That sky. And of course, that swing too.

True suspended animation !