The other day even after getting the waking up call at 4 o'clock in the morning due to echoing sound of Azan from different mosques in my locality, I, never leave the bed so early but prefer to roll over and pull the rags covering me from top to bottom. This I do in all seasons, even in the hot summer also. Of course, in Summer and in the Rainy season I do not take rags but cover myself with a Bed Sheet and lie on the bed, but today, do not know, why, cannot sleep any more after giving a very hard try also and then decided to get up. Looking at the wall clock and peeping through the window, made up my mind to have a walk around the main road as used to do in my earlier romantic days in a small town far away from Howrah City but after my retirement, I never dared to do morning walk in this big city, Howrah. As decided, went out for strolling in the street which in general is always crowded with vehicles and people but now found to be deserted in this early hour of the day and feeling very happy to walk down the road like a king. 

The morning light started sneaking over and the little clear visibility of the nearby area brought me forward two health freaks, coming from my opposite, with eye-catching tracksuits and colourful shoes. Without stopping for a moment both of them stared at me, waved their hands with a morning wish and moved with a gentle pace. This little incident took me back twenty years and pinched me to do something like them. Getting spurred, I also started pedalling and thumping but the hard labyrinth caused me problems and my feeble feet immediately feeling pain on ankles. Bones were rubbing each other and dictated me to stop by reminding that many romance springs had already been passed by. Listening to the inner call I started looking around the murky fog-soaked road and found light making its way removing blanket and people of all spheres also found to be in the street for their various need but still, the shutters of the shops remained closed and in run down condition. The road, also almost empty by then. I prefer to slow walking than jogging and pedalling.

As I was moving from south to north and the visibility of the road still not that clear, so, I took the left side of the street because some sudden occasional appearance of auto, mini bus and big private bus with the honking blow caused me uneasy and pushed aside the road. Just a moment early, I was about to fell on a big vegetable basket which the street vendor kept in his occupied place, properly covering his articles with polythene and tied strongly by Manila rope, due to a bizarre sound of a Private Bus coming from back. The road here is for One Way Traffic and thus the bus coming from Andul blew such a terrified horn that made me panicked and caused me to fall about. The long distance visibility is still not clear, so, I stopped for a while. After taking a shock breathe I looked around the road and observed that a large portion of the street, in this morning hours also, belong to those forceful occupants and also surprised that nobody, even the police on the kiosks, also had the guts to shift any of the basket from the designated place. I was gazing at the street vendors' place from whom I generally purchase, found piles of baskets tied together and covered with polythene, kept in decent way and nobody around it guarding. Surprised with the scenario about which I was completely ignorant because in our housing complex I did not find any resident going even to his neighbour's house in the other floor keeping room unlocked. Living here for so many years, not realised that lacs of lacs rupee vegetables, fruits lying in the pavements, roads, be so safe in open condition when the residents are not. Two sides of a common city surprised me in the late hours of my life.

I started moving again. Today, at this very senior age, I am discovering many new things of my well known area about which I had no idea before. Feeling very happy. The cold air biting me hard. I cannot move. I stopped for a while. Tied my muffler properly around my head and neck and then again making my move.

The ringing sound of bells attracting me. These sounds are coming from different temples. My city here is well decorated with multiple temples of Hindu deities, mosques, gurdwara, parasnath mandir and many others with different religious beliefs of which first sound from mosques start the vibrancy of the day. Then strings of bell ringing from different temples of Lord Shiva,

Daring God Hanumanji, Ganesh Thakur started coming and the pious people found after dipping in the Hooghly River carrying water to pour on the head of Devadidev Bhagwan Shiva. The continuous ringing from Durga Mandir along with chanting mantras made the surrounding so pleasant that I could had never before. Though I am a firm believer of God even I never had such taste because I always avoid visiting any religious place and refuse to post my faith in the way others dictate me. But this continuous chanting took me to the temples lined by the river side.

This is the first time I came to these areas and observing the rituals of different temples minutely. In all temples, Purohit, here of course in our locality Bengali Culture have given way to North Indian Culture and Purohit known as Pandit, have the coloured thick paste on their forehead and cladded colourful, mainly yellow colour dhuti and kurta with long Rudraksha Necklace, of which I have some reservation because of my obstinity. I have been grown up in Bengali Culture where purohits have no thick paste on the forehead but some were found to have thin line of sandalwood paste in the middle of forehead and wear only white dresses. Anyway, the morning vibrancy increased many times of the crowded bathing people of them, I saw some were facing the east expecting the bright red sun, praying with folded hands standing in waist-deep water and continuously throwing water aiming the sun. I was standing by the riverside and really amazed by the activities of dedicated religious people. The bells are coming from all around and I also offer my obeisance to the almighty god as I do always silently.

Though the weather is now clear even the sun did not appear full and still play tiptoeing with the religious people who are standing in waist-deep water for minutes together in today's chilled weather. The sun started seeing over the tall buildings of Kolkata Ghat opposite to Howrah Bank and another morning beauty of my area surprised me. The coloured sky, coloured river, and dedicated religious people gave me a picturesque view of my locality in a new way.

After spending some time, while returning home, stopped on the way, trying to locate the aromatic scent coming from. The scent was so soothing that water started flowing the my mouth but could not even understand the direction to move in as the shops on the main roads still had not opened their shutters.

When I was looking for the scent coming from then found one man with Singara and Amriti running down the street in a joyous mood. Again surprised. The dark, dirty lane where torn clothes adoring the wall, pungent and stinking smells are common in feature, cow dung cakes give the shabby look, there from this man is coming with such aromatic food? Found one after another man was coming out. I very cautiously entered the lane but nothing was nearby. The lane was so narrow that gave me a very fiery look and I was hesitating to move forward but the soothing frying scent was calling me in such a way that I could not ignore its darling call.

The city Howrah is famous for the fabric of its maze design where its lane bylane is comparable only with a spider's net and definitely one stranger will lose his road if not have a proper guide with him, so, I am really not confident of safe return but even though the strong aroma of delicious food pulling me more further. Now, against my will, I was forced to ask a man about the shop and found that I already missed the destination and as per his guidance I turned backwards. Reaching the shop found a thick crowd waiting outside and one man assisted by his wife making those two over-demand items. After waiting for more than forty-five minutes I got the call and returned home and made my family a surprise.

.    .    .