I wrote this particular article a long time back...but I do hope its worth a place in my blog...hope u enjoy reading it.
The day started for us like a usual college day. We were four in all (I am not talking about on auto). Two on each bike. We were riding back home after a very dull, monotonous and routine day in college. Someone decided that this routine had to break. Alas! It broke. It broke in a bad way. The back tyre of the bike that I wasn’t traveling on, got punctured. My pals on this bike had to stop obviously.
On seeing that these guys were stranded in the middle of nowhere on the highway near Yendada, we made a U-turn and headed back to help them. The nearest mechanic shop was a kilometer away- not that far, considering the fact that we drive our bikes at breakneck speeds. But we were driving a little slowly and still it did not take much time for us to reach the mechanic. Luckily there was one available and he readily got ready to tackle the puncture. While two were away to the mechanic shop, we two were sitting near the Yendada bus stop, protecting the punctured bike from possible intruders. At this moment, we realized the sun was beating down quite hard. This was pulling the remaining luster out from our lack-luster faces. So much just for a puncture, we thought!
As it happens in most cases, the other two guys kept us waiting. Again the same old discussion, how long would it take for the tube to be repaired, what are these guys doing? A cell in hand at that particular moment would have given us the opportunity to call, but cell phones are not always handy, at least in these circumstances when our imagination soars to unthinkable levels. I mean, how many different interpretations can a human mind make out of a situation? A question that is best left unanswered.
All of a sudden we could feel a whiff of cool air breezing past us. Wow! the weather god had something in store for us. The weather turned on its head. Clouds started gathering all around us. They were moving in opposite directions and they were so dense that we could think of nothing but rain at that particular instant. But then, keeping up with the longstanding tradition of nature’s unpredictability, the clouds decided to offer us something more special, something more picturesque, something that was just spellbinding.
The clouds started circling around as if to form a Tornado. Yes, but Tornados are not a part of this world, so there was no fear of having one and thus no fear of having to run helter-skelter for shelter. Out of the blue, my friends appeared -as if they were out for so long playing in the clouds. It was getting cooler and cooler by the clock tick. The weather was enthralling to say the least. The bike got ready and we decided to record the wonderful moments that were to follow.

We started moving, we were driving as slow as we could to get the most out of this exuberant atmosphere around us. Black clouds above us, green mountains beside us, the dark and perfectly laid out road in front of us and the camera with us. This was surely an excellent package. We stopped again. This time not because of a puncture, but because the nature called us, literally. Amidst the gloom of the dark clouds and the greenery of the innumerable trees that thrived on the hills, we suddenly saw a spark of light. It wasn’t lightening, it wasn’t a star either. It was something we just saw for once. This spark was the jewel in the crown. The nature was at its wonderful best. It took a lot of time for this feeling to sink in… the feeling of being pampered in the lap of nature, the feeling of being treated to the most pleasantest of treats, the feeling of being fresh and enchanted. Oh! Can anything beat that? Again a question that is best left unanswered.

While all this was a great experience for the four of us, we supposed it wasn’t for the other people who were going on the same path we had taken. I mean, we could see people laughing at us while we were busy enjoying the gifts nature was offering. This was the saddest part of it all. If people think that stopping on the road and taking a look at the wonderful surroundings constitutes an act of an eccentric person, then it is so nonsensical. Of course we too had a silent laugh for all those who couldn’t realize the beauty they were engulfed in. We only hoped that we could get to see umpteen instances of such exhilarating scenery and also that everybody would be able to take in the essence of being in the lap of nature. No other place on the Eastern Ghats can probably boast of having beaches and mountains so close to each other. We should be proud to be Vizagites and a part of its remarkable natural wealth. Let us do our best to preserve it.

PS: Oh,,. the downpour started and we headed for our homes.