A ride on Chilka lake - Part1

Most might consider this post and the next as ravings of a nostalgia maniac. However, I will still try and evoke emotions from the past.
Now I am all set to talk about the ride of my life – the most memorable 3 hours of my life. These 3 hours, even in the autumn of my life and twilight of my day will remain fresh in my memory. Every then, when I hear pleasant notes played on a musical instrument; every then, when I smell the sun baked summer earth sizzling at the caressing first monsoon drops; every then, when my hand feels the dew wet petals of a tender rose on a quiet foggy winter morning, every then those three hours flash and play back, vividly -though for a split second, in my mind. This was the ride on the lake Chilka. At this point if you jump to a conclusion that it was a romantic ride with my girlfriend then you have grossly mistaken, though she was with me. It was not her nor was it any of my friends on the boat. Though I journeyed on the same boat as they did and visited the same place as they did, my thoughts transcended the human planes. I transcended the three dimensions of human life and entered the fourth dimension of time - a dimension of constant flux if you are outside it and a thought arresting dimension if you enter it. I entered this dimension to preserve my thoughts and emotions that were engendered in this ride, forever and ever.
It was afternoon of Diwali in 2007. I was in Bhubhaneswar for my initial training with TCS. Now, when I close my eyes for a brief moment, I see a motor boat anchored to the embankment on the lake Chilka. The motor kicked to life as soon as the last of us left the ground for the boat. I occupied one of the benches parallel to the sides of boat.A quarter of an hour into the boat ride, I changed my seating location to the gunwale of the boat to let my legs feel the lake waters. I could also feel the bright sun warm on my back. It was water in every direction as far as I could see. I hear people gossip, play a silly game and entertain themselves in whatever manner they could, on this boat. I felt a sudden surge in my heart. I know it is all blood and adrenaline that has got on to me. And, I also know that blood in my heart has hit a frequency to etch something permanently in my heart. That is how bonds are formed with me.
The blue seas that do not have a trace of green on them, the wild seas that jump up and down to swallow anything at the slightest of hints are one thing and these placid lakes with interspersed greenery in and around them are another. My eyes see the sun bathed golden lake waters and floating sparse green vegetation. These serene lake waters are there to carry my weight without a wince or retort. These waters are there to rejoice in my joy and to titillate my soul with unknown emotions.
The lake ripples like a delicate creeper in cool evening breeze. It is a dancing maiden’s waist whose movements go uncaught at the blink of an eye. Now I understand why poets compare sea to a man and lake with a lady. Sea is a savage. It is aggressive and querulous. It is open and warns you of its true character. But lake is slow, serene and surreptitious. The placid superficial veneer of a lake hides the powerful undercurrents. I watch this watery dance and wonder its magnificence till I reach the island, the place where Chilka flows into the sea. On reaching the island most of my fellow troopers settled for coconuts and prawns. But I knew what I wanted. I knew this was my …. To continued in the next post