The Missing Magic

After a memorable evening of dinner, drinks and talk, in an expansive mood and a feeling of euphoria we came out of the Air Conditioned Pub of Noida Golf Club to suddenly find us in a different world.

A full moon in the sky, the emerald green freeways bathed pale, a pleasant mildly caressing cool breeze made us linger for a while longer, we had meet at the club to welcome Maliks, our common friends, on a short visit from USA, still talking of past with feelings dipped in nostalgia.

Earlier with the tables cleared, the Kulfies and Gulab-jamuns, savoured slowly, we had lingered at the table and later, with a feeling of bonhomie, at the car park, one hand on the car-door handle the other extended for a reluctant goodbye, unconsciously, trying to hold on to the magic of the evening a bit longer .

The moon and the cool breeze combine, unusual for the time and part of the world of Noida, brought back the magical memories of the legendary Malwa Nights: the vast landscape, lit by the full moon in the sky, stretching far towards the Bercaha lake, long back in time in Mhow and in the endearing company of Jeet, my late wife. Also evocative of similar nights of ‘The Dwars’ at Tezpur, the airfield area spread as far as eyes could see, suffused with the pale-white moon-light, the tall grass reeds swaying in the mild breeze with their silvery-white plumes shining bright, the high in the sky, full moon, of those winter nights was an ethereal sight: the sight, the peace and quiet of those special nights, though wove a sheer magic around one, provided no compensation for the pain and pangs of separation from the family far away in Dehradun.

I came home, parked the car, changed and came down once again to the park below. It was now past twelve , the full moon, and now high in the sky, was still bright as before, the breeze also blowing and the park suffused with the same evocative pale-white moon-light, alas, the magic that I had come in search of was missing and so was the company and the companion.