Hotel Kabristan View
“Auto Sir?”
“Yup”
“Where?”
“Some hotel nearby, any budget hotel.”
He gave me a ride to a hotel in Afzal Nagar. It was like any other, standard hotel. I booked a room and the room was No 303. As I have opted for a non A/c room, so no sooner I went inside the room, than I switched on the fan and opened the window.
As I opened the window, what I see, was huge cemetery, with small big tombs of dead souls visible under the mercury lamp post. I became restless. Although I was not afraid; a grown up man am I; but I was.
I thought people opt for hotels
With lake view
Beach view
Valley View
But my hotel gave me a Cemetery view, and that was not incredible.
It was still dark then, I was just wanted to leap on the bed and sleep. But sleeping was impossible, with a closed window, and it was also impossible with an open window either. But I was feeling sleepy.
It was at the end I decided, to open the window, a little, just to avoid suffocation and ensured myself that not soul can enter with that little opening. With mixed feeling I managed to sleep and I slept till late in the morning. As the day light diffused in the little room, I woke up. Straight I went to the window, what I see, was an Incredible View. The Silent Cemetery was looking lively in the back drop of an old mosque and there were beautiful chirping sounds of birds. I could see rows of pigeon, seated on the round minaret of the old mosque. A sparrow jumping from one tomb to other, enjoying the essence of life it has within.
I switched on a Hindi music channel on the TV, and peeped out of the window, to observe each and every minute happening in the cemetery. I had to pass on some time till 2PM in the afternoon and thought to take some pictures of the view that my hotel rendered then.
As I clicked few images, I thought, why it was so that the very sight, in the night made my blood chill, but the morning rays have made a thinker out of me. It made me think of the poem “Solitude of Aleixandre Selkirk” by William Crook
There's mercy in every place;
And mercy—encouraging thought!
Gives even affliction a grace,
And reconciles man to his lot.
Although there were many things to see in the city famous of Pearls, but that little hotel room in the city, made me think of that every place (even if odd) has got something to say. And I found myself remembering the great poem, which I read to pass my senior school examination.
I checked out at 1.30PM to the scorching heat of Hyderabad, and I was lost in some other thoughts as I traveled towards Rajiv Gandhi International Airport.
(Original name of the Hotel was nice and different)
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