When the sea becomes a neighbour 

For astir of my life, my model opened to chaos — blaring horns, endless traffic, and factual towers stacked truthful adjacent that adjacent the upwind felt locked out. The soundtrack of my puerility was not birdsong oregon breeze, but honking, shouting, and the occasional operation drill. From my room, I could spot lone a grey partition of buildings that blocked the sky. The aerial was dense with humidity, and the air-conditioner became a year-round necessity. 

As the years went by, the regular commute grew longer, and the regular question began to consciousness progressively tiring. That was erstwhile we decided to determination person to work. Still, erstwhile the determination came to displacement homes, it was not easy. Leaving down acquainted streets, relatives, friends and acquainted faces carried a definite sadness. But sometimes, a dense bosom indispensable marque mode for a lighter life. And so, we moved — and the oversea became my caller neighbour. 

The quality was immediate. For the archetypal time, erstwhile I opened my window, caller upwind rushed successful — cool, salty, untamed. The greeting nary longer began with car horns but with the clang of waves and the chatter of sparrows flying freely successful the sky. The presumption was not of dusty roads but of greenish trees bending to the bushed of the breeze, and of the oversea itself, stretching retired similar an endless companion. Clothes dried faster here, though they ne'er rather mislaid the lingering scent of salt. 

Every time offered a caller performance. At sunset, the entity turned into a canvas of pinkish and gold, and it felt arsenic though clip itself paused. Strangers gathered connected the shore, their hurried footsteps slowing arsenic they stood successful soundless wonder. For a fewer moments, bureau workers, tourists, children, and fishermen shared the aforesaid stillness. That is erstwhile the oversea felt little similar a neighbour and much similar a philosopher, whispering that each our unreserved is temporary, but the waves volition proceed rolling successful — with oregon without us. 

There are days erstwhile the oversea shows its playful side. Clouds scatter into antithetic shapes, and the breeze teases the trees into abrupt shivers. Flocks of sparrows instrumentality successful coordinated arcs supra the water, arsenic though rehearsing for an invisible audience. On foggy mornings, the Bandra–Worli Sea Link disappears into the mist, lone to reappear astatine night, lit up similar a aureate necklace strung crossed the acheronian waters, a show that ne'er fails to assistance the mood. Sometimes, I ticker the moonlight scatter implicit the oversea successful metallic patches, and it feels similar surviving wrong a painting. 

But this neighbour is not ever gentle. During the monsoon, the upwind howls with specified unit that each doorway successful the location needs a stopper. The waves clang louder, rattling windows and reminding america who is successful command. Salt creeps into walls, furnishings weathers excessively quickly, and patience is tested. Yet, adjacent successful its sternest mood, the oversea ne'er allows beingness to consciousness dull. 

From my window, I often announcement the fishermen, retired astatine oversea for hours with nets successful hand, their patience arsenic immense arsenic the h2o itself. I deliberation of their resilience and wonderment if the city’s restless commuters could ever larn specified calm. The aerial present carries a substance of brackish and faint fishy notes from the boats, but it feels much live than the smoke-filled aerial of the metropolis I near behind. 

Life beside the oversea is not conscionable a alteration of scenery; it is simply a alteration of rhythm. The oversea does not hurry, yet it ne'er fails to return. It erodes walls but builds perspective. It unsettles and comforts successful adjacent measure. Above all, it teaches that determination is calmness adjacent wrong changeless motion. 

When the oversea becomes your neighbour, you realise you don’t request euphony to consciousness uplifted oregon alarms to aftermath you. The waves, the wind, and the birds transportation capable reminders that a caller time has begun. And possibly that is the top acquisition of all: the accidental to unrecorded successful harmony with a unit that is some eternal and ever-changing.

atharvabhuse1@gmail.com