As the clock struck five I woke up as my age didn’t need any more sleep. My grandchildren enjoying the summer vacation would enjoy a couple of hours of more sleep.

I had to find my way out gently freeing myself from the tight clasp of my grandson sleeping on my right with his arm on my neck and leg draped across my midriff and easing out without disturbing the granddaughter sleeping in the crook of my left arm. I managed successfully, found my way to the balcony, stretched my arms and took in lungful of fresh air.

I found the dark night almost yielding way to the grey of the twilight and the few bright stars bidding their farewell. Soon the yellow of the dawn slowly started taking over and the bay showed itself looking calm and serene. The single rock in the middle of the bay slowly came into focus and looked like an island of hope. It provided a contrasting foreground first to the amber of the horizon which slowly turned into purple, then a light shade of red and later myriad of colours. It looked as though the whole sky spread out a broad   canvas of the entire spectrum of colours to welcome the arrival of the sun and a new day. The birds nearby provided the necessary music to complete the opera like scene.

Obliging all and to my great amazement the sun rose first languidly up on the horizon spreading a riot of colours and later majestically shining bright with increasing light to dispel the gloom of the night before and promising a wonderful day to one and all on this earth.

In my balcony I found a bright rose bud also of red slowly emerging out of the petals around and the money plant stretching itself further by another small green leaf. The other flowers in the potted plants slowly woke up from their slumber and started taking in the sunlight and blooming. The few drops of dew on the green leaves sparkled like jewels on a bed of emerald green.

I looked at the promising day and took a moment for reflection of my own life, and felt a sense of great satisfaction. First I found the happy coexistence of three generations in my house. Born to poor parents in a small village in Andhra Pradesh I had gone round the world and seen many places which I never even dreamt of. I had the good fortune of interacting with the mighty and low and people of different countries, colours and ideologies. I had also gone through the whole gamut of life from moderate success to failure and the entire spectrum of dizzy heights of personal happiness to abysmal depths of despair.

When my father left for his heavenly abode he regretted very much his inability to leave anything behind for me. Fortunately I now have enough to live out the rest of my life in a comfortable lifestyle. When I leave I do not have to think of leaving anything for my children.

My daughters sought and found greener pastures. They had seen a broader horizon, visited many more places than I, cruised around the world, holidayed in London and Europe, skied in Alps, Utah and Colorado, dived in Key West and Para glided in Miami. They achieved much more than what our whole family together ever dreamt of. One of my daughters goes around in a chauffeured BMW of the 7 series the only one of its kind in this small city. Back home she goes around in even swankier cars and leads a grand life style. The other daughter also lives happily and almost equally well.

All the grandchildren are doing equally well at different stages of school.

Extrapolating, my six grandchildren may see new vistas and explore them. They may stay on the moon and holiday in Mars. They may travel in space vehicles still to be conceived. Their horizon may extend well beyond this planet and my imagination.

Not a bad story of a boy with humble beginnings, I thought at the end of it all. Meanwhile the refrain of the song kitna rangeen hai is dunihya wafted from the next balcony.