we were driving east from Chittoor, on a sultry Sunday
afternoon, towards Chennai. I had not expected any location would be so
spectacularly splendid and so perfect. We came upon the location quite suddenly,
driving past at more than 80 kmph. The traffic had piled up and slowed us down,
and it was just there, in the post-noon and pre-evening sun, glittering with a
perfect blue sky.
It was a small hamlet, almost rural and almost urban,
possibly ‘rurban’ as the term goes nowadays. The lake must have been a sewage
dump, but the sudden view made it look beautiful. We were driving past, and did
not stop for a closer look. The obvious evidence was the absence of waterbirds
or domestic animals within the waterbody. I could be wrong, though.
The sky made up for all the shortcomings. It had been dark
in the morning at Chittoor, and later, in Chennai, it did rain. But at that
moment, alongside the lake, the sky was perfect, the lake looked good, and the
hamlet seemed washed out to brilliance. The photo, taken by cellphone, at 80
kmph, did forgive all the other problems that could be.
