This conveys little of the experience though, since you can't listen to the sound of birds as they return home, and the distant call of azaan by the muezzin in a mosque downhill. This azaan has become an indicator of my schedule here, since he also calls at around 5:10 am (Should be about to call now). Whenever I stay up till late due to some work/entertainment, the azaan reminds me that dawn is about to come. Around 20 minutes after the muezzin's call to the faithful is over, Venkatesha Suprabhatam starts in a temple downhill, which must be somewhere near the mosque. I've never seen that mosque, nor the temple, hidden as they are behind thick canopies of trees, but their residents connect to me in a very direct way. They make me keep track of time, and lull away my will to stay awake further, as I crash to a (generally short) sleep. When I don't heed their call and pull an all-nighter, I'm generally rewarded with breathtaking mist-wisped sunrises and a magnificent views of distant hills that are lost in the vapor haze later in the day. It's a mixed blessing. Of course, you can say that if I sleep early, I'll be able to have a full night's sleep, and watch the sunrise. But you say so since you haven't attended midnight birthday parties, 2 am owl-rescues (May come in a later post), your neighbor playing full-volume bhangra at 3 am, philosophical discussions on the practical utility of creativity at 4 am, or parties till 5 am. Sleeping early (After your ears have become immune to loud music) has its benefits, but what you lose you may not get later.
Almost half the campus is away to Bangalore, for the IIMK-IIMB sports meet, there being only two people on my floor. Most classes have been rescheduled due to the meet, so many people are having an easy time here. Those who have not committed to any Backwaters-related, or other extracurric work have gone off to Mahe, Periyar, Wayanad and elsewhere. That's one of the best things I like about this campus. It allows me practicable access to a lot of places that I wouldn't have thought of going to had I stayed in the north. People from the campus have been to Munnar, Periyar, Wayanad, Kovalam, Goa, Mahe, Pondicherry, Kochi, Alleppey (Backwaters), Kanyakumari, Lakshadweep, Ooty, Kodaikanal, Coorg and a remarkable number and variety of places. I've been to a few of them too, but lots of places to see still. Let's see where wanderlust leads us.
The guy in the next room to me (Not the bhangra-player, he's on the other side) is married, and usually stays downhill in a rented home (His wife has taken a job). She's a PhD in literature. My neighbor mentioned that liberal arts graduates in general, and his wife in particular, have an acute ability to gauge people and their backgrounds from very limited interactions. I ho-hummed this view of his, till one day he suddenly asked me, "Does your father work for some govt agency?" I said yes. He said "Oh, f***." Turns out his wife had told him that. She also correctly identified the backgrounds of some other people on campus. Till that point of time, she had spent less than 2 hours talking to me, spread over several weeks, and even less time with the other people. I later asked her to explain how she did it, but she couldn't. She said it's an innate ability, "You just know." Till that point, I'd thought liberal arts people would be more skilled than your average engineer in literature or history or some such domain, but nothing more. Now, it seems, that atleast in those who are serious about their chosen field, a sensitivity develops towards fine stimuli that is inaccessible to more analytically-minded persons. [the Azaan has begun, I take a break to follow its lyrics. Clock says 5:27. He seems to be late today, or maybe is some lunar funda.] But I know plenty of people who enjoy maths problems as much as they do Tolkien. Still, I haven't met any who had the almost clairvoyant-like ability of this lady. Makes you think about what the purpose of education is, to understand machines or people?
Azaan lyrics here . Next time you hear one, follow it more closely. Also read the part after the lyrics, on how almost at every moment, azaan is being called on some longitude of the globe.
The temple seems to have dispensed with Suprabhatam tonight, err.. morning, is playing some bhajan. Maybe will play that later. I take your leave now, to crash to sleep.
