The serenity of an evening

It was one of those evenings. You know... the ones, where everything seems to slow down and take a deep breath. When everything seems to be moving at just the right pace, everything seems to be revelling in the moment. A cool breeze flowed through, so gentle,... that when it flowed over you, you felt like you were being caressed with barely touching fingertips. Every breath seemed to add a new vigour, new life. It was really a rejuvenating feeling. The clarity of the evening all around reflected in my thoughts as well .... I already had a spring in my step by now.

I was out with my new toy, my camera, excited to try it out. Boy, was I glad to be outdoors. I reached the hill behind my university in hope of getting some good shots of the setting sun. And there I was, completely captivated by the serenity of it all. It was the whole setting that made the magic and I knew immediately that I was never going to capture in just photographs.

This is what I saw... no, experienced. The sun was setting in brilliant colours. I imagined that if it was a real person, it would be giving out a sigh after being satisfied with a hard day's work, sigh of thinking about reclining with a hot cup of coffee. A little distance away, a young couple were leaning against a tree on the hill slope. The nice evening, and being in each other's company had evidently lifted up their spirits. They were all playful and smiling and completely engrossed in their own world of two. A guy was sitting on the hill-top, not far from where I stood, and was strumming away smoothly on his guitar. He was simply playing his favourite tunes. And coincidentally, a guy farther down the hill was taking stroll singing a soft, chinese song, completely oblivious to his contribution to the evening.

Now, how was I ever going to capture the whole mood with just my camera. I never could have. It is the blending of all these small, nice things that adds taste to the delicacy, called life. The singer was too far away downhill, and I dared not approach the couple and spoil their moment. So, I approached the guitarist of the evening for a photograph. He readily agreed. So I did manage to capture something of the evening's essence other than just scenery.

Thus, feeling triumphant of approaching a stranger for a photograph successfully and having experienced the unique blend of a moment of life, I was reminded of the line from the movie American Beauty -

You can't be mad for long because there is so much beauty out there.

Images: Santosh