The Neem Lane

Water bodies fascinate me in a way few other things do. Ponds, rivers, lakes; they all call me. I have lived a considerable part of my life so far in Kerala in close proximity to water. I have learnt swimming in a river and tested it out in ponds. There is a freshness to swimming in natural water that no swimming pool in the world can duplicate.But I havent been as lucky with the sea. Until now, that is.

Here in Chennai, I have the sea; massive and beautiful, streaked with boat shaped and ship shaped dots whenever I see it. I go to it in the mornings on the pretext of enjoying a morning walk. I sit at the shore, enjoy the sight of the waves and let the salt of the sea wind settle on my face. Then I walk back.

Today, on the way back, I noticed a lane to the left side of the main road. It is paved and lined with trees on both sides. There are houses on both sides, only impressive because of their size and the money that might have been spent on them. Otherwise, they are monstrosities. The lane, however is a delight. The dry leaves from the neem trees are strewn all over. Either they pile up faster than they can be cleaned or nobody bothers. There are 4 fully grown trees in the short lane. They bathe the road in delicious shade. The neem tree is my favourite. I have decided to plant it all around the house I will eventually stay in. It transports me back to my childhood. But that is the subject of another post.

For now, I have a diversion to take every morning on the way back from the sea.