The Universe Was at Peace
Bangalore has had its second-hottest day in 50 years, with the temperature touching 38.5 C. A heat wave has been declared. In this mid-day heat, I drove to Mysore.
On the way back, I wanted to beat the heat and the traffic, so I checked out from the hotel and merged onto the expressway before 6 AM. Brilliant twilight colours appeared in the sky, but it was still so dark that I had to use my headlights. After 10 minutes, the day broke, and I turned off my headlights. The headlights of oncoming vehicles were no longer annoying, as they are at night. Instead, they glittered like jewels in the distance as the smooth expressway unfolded for kilometres ahead, glimmering in the gentle light of dawn.
The road ahead turned to the left. After a second, I noticed another level of the expressway in the distance above this one. I was surprised since this is a single-level expressway. Then I realised that after the road curved to the left, it rose in elevation and then curved to the right. It was all the same expressway.
In Bangalore, every inch of space on the road, and parking, and land to build buildings is contested. There’s insufficient space available, and we all squeeze in. The expressway was a welcome respite from this: there was little traffic. The entire road was available in front of me, beckoning me to use it. It was literally a free-way. The expressway is the highest achievement of humankind. When a tollbooth appeared, I was only too happy to pay the nominal fee to partake in this wonder. I barrelled down the expressway, and not a single vehicle overtook me all the way to Bangalore. In fact, it was me who zipped past the laggards.
Then, the sun rose. He was gentle. Later in the day, he was going to get angry and beat down all the helpless people and animals below, but at this time, he was still happy and smiling and orange, providing sustenance to the verdant green fields on either side, the trees growing from them, and the birds flying over them. All creatures were happy, and the universe was at peace.