Someone shook me hard to wake me up. After 3 days of NASA celebrations, a day long travel in train and late night movie i was really tired and pained. My body ached and eye lids irritated to open. But the gasping, fearing voice of friend forced me to wake up. When i open my eyes rubbing them, i saw him waking other two friends. The place we stayed was rented by friend of my friend. We planned to stay there just for that night.
He never cared that we are not in senses, but he continued with his fearing voice, telling Tremor hits the place and water from the sea entered the slum near. He pointed on few books fallen from the racks and speakers near. I took time to get back my sense but others were all ready direct from the bed to visit the slum and sea... I joined them.
When we stepped out into the street, i saw people rushing back from the sea side. The slum was not far, just few ten meters away from the place we stayed. We ran through the narrow street but the people were running back towards us. We crossed all double floor hard building to reach the thatched huts. When we reached the slum in couple of minutes i saw people packing their things, heard sounds of pain, defeat, fear... Fear struck me too... we proceeded further and reached the place where i could not trace it as slum or sea shore. Tsunami had washed out whole the beach and part of slums. I saw the human soul crying, the pain, the death, the loss. Whenever i hear about tsunami i hear the voice of a middle aged woman crying for her husband and kid. The horrible scene i ever seen. No human on beach/sea shore except one police constable with his lathi. The beach was flat, wet without any human prints!
People started shouting, praying louder and few started to run for life... the waves raised again to the height of a tall man. I started to run with them, shouting my friend's names, with fear. Every face had the trace of panic and tears.
But who on earth hate water...beaches?!
Chennai beaches are close to me... close like a good friend, as i told in my old post.
Though chennai has many possiblities to show it as unique city, only Beaches add beauty to it. The sound waves, soft breeze, hot bajjies. I can't miss pointing on the long roads lighted, those old historical buildings,monuments, colleges along the beach road...
I have been to beaches many times, at times alone, sometimes with friends. Except the tsunami day, all other days were best, i leave back as a new soul.
Recently i saw people celebrating chennai sangamam in the same beach where i ran for my life with others. They enjoyed their culture in the beach, they were singing, dancing, playing music, eating together, greeting each other, chit chatting as a gang with friends and family. I joined them! yeah, i forgot the tsunami day like others.
I have friends who feel unfotunate for not getting chance to live in a chennai, in city with beaches. True, am lucky, lucky to spend days of my life in beaches.
As i said in my old post, for me beaches are vast beautiful ventilator. Two places on earth i like to spend time alone, just looking at the happenings around. First come church and the second is beach. Both gives me peace. I dont pray, i dont speak, i dont sleep. I will just be myself there. I share lot of my worries and smiles with it without any words. I remember a day... i was alone to the Elliot beach under hot sun, some time around noon. Except few rickshaws which will be a bajji shops in the evening, few white clothes tied to bamboos for ballon shoot, i saw none around me. I felt i was out of earth into the water world... i vented out my worries. Thats the day i discovered a friend, called Beach.
The days i went alone, the days i played with my friends, the day i went with my parents, with aazraya, chennai sangamam... lot more memorable days there... except tsunami day :)
God created the world in seven days. After lighting the world on first day, He separated the Water and Land on second day! now water covers 70% of the earth.
To know about the more about the Chennai beaches, click here.
