There is a strike tomorrow

          Those were the first words coming out my mother’s mouth on that Thursday morning. I have a doctor’s appointment on Friday and there is no way that I want to postpone the appointment  because on one side mentally I was getting sick thinking about the situations at the office and on the other side my back bones were killing me with pain; somehow I wanted to get over with the procedures. That was how at the next moment I reached out to the phone and made a call to Dr. Poyilan. He gave me an appointment, mentioned he will be available at his research center between 2.00 to 4.00 PM.

It’s about 90 minutes’ drive from my home to the doctor’s place. I knew with the pain in my back I would not be able to make it in 90 minutes, so I  started way too earlier than I should. That was for the first time I was driving to Kattamballi, a remote place in Kannur district 

          I can see by my watch without taking my hands from the steering of the car that it was one thirty in the afternoon once I reached the connection road in the direction of Kattamballi. The drive through connection road was a cherishing experience for me; the view from the road was a splendid one. I watched the high sunlit clouds drifted across the clear blue sky from my car with my head resting against my right hand, the music from the car stereo pounded in my ears as the trees passed by. The narrow roads lead me to a highway.

           Stopped my car once I reached a junction, I wasn’t sure which turn I should take towards the doctor’s place. I could spot a small shop so I parked my car in a shade and walked towards the shop, the salesperson was friendly and he directed me to the doctor’s research center. The road towards doctor’s place was awful, choppy, narrow, and bumpy. Hardly a car can pass though it and one side of the road was river. The drive gave me a scare because I wasn’t ready for it, with my health situations I was in no mood for swimming. I found myself cursing the doctor for keeping it in such a place knowing that most of his patients would have a problem with their back.

       Finally I made it at the research center. In my mind I Thanked the salesperson met at the shop, he had navigated me towards the right place. It’s a 3 story building which look alike our traditional kerala buildings. They have a huge aquarium pond in front of the reception. The receptionist had a warm smile in her face, once I enquired about the consultation she had mentioned “doctor is on his way and he is expected to be here in an hour or so” that’s how I had the idea of capturing images for a time lapse. Last time I drove till Paithalmala to make a time lapse and the rain didn’t even let me take my camera out of my backpack. I found a spot to keep my camera running. The riverbank was calmer than any of the place I have been, the cold breeze swept through my hair and knocked it on my face.

          After 60 minutes of shooting I could not stop myself from sharing the time lapse with Deba out of my extreme excitation; some days can totally surprise you from nowhere.