Precious Evenings

It's so precious to have an evening for oneself. I know what most of us would think - evening 'for' oneself...and what is so precious about it?! But for people like me who don't return from work till after nightfall, evenings are precious.

Every weekend, I try to spend the evening with my friends or family. That is special :-). But occassionally [very occassionally], I get an evening on a weekday. The colours, the smell, the sights, the sounds of evening...precious.

Women dressing up [looking fresh] and going about busy; people tired and returning from work; students returning after bunking class[:-)]; laughter of girls; children playing; teenage boys trying to grow up faster than their ages... what's the good word here - precious.

We used to go to my grandmother's place during the summer vacations. The days used to be hot and humid but the evenings... the evenings were beautiful. The huge temple we used to visit had rows of flower sellers [they are still there]. The smell of jasmine and roses twined with the colours of flowers I do not know the names of, was soothing.

Evenings meant the women in the family freshening up, dressing up, wearing your best clothes and jewellery, getting together with neighbouring girls and women and going to the temple or going for a movie. Either was welcome. The laughter, the clang of bangles and anklets, the swishing of sarees and skirts. Flowers falling in your lap when you sat would enhance the colours of your clothes.

Remnants of those evenings can still be found in these occassional precious evenings. The air still smells crisp. Women still dress up and go to temples in the evenings. The beauty of colours and smells and sights are still there. However, these evenings for people like me are rare... hence, precious!