Sunset

Sunsets are beautiful. There is something magical in the moments when the Sun slowly dips below the horizon and disappears. The brightness of day fades away to twilight and the enigmatic night prepares to set in. Throughout the world, and especially in hill stations, there are designated sunset points from where one can glimpse sunsets in full glory. Sea shores also offer an equally good view. The sunset that I cherish most is the one I witnessed while on the San Diego beach on Labor Day in September 2001. We were a group of friends in US on different client projects and were spending the weekend at San Diego. Towards evening we gathered at the beach without any specific intention to watch the sunset, though in hindsight I am glad about the decision. An hour or so before sunset, sun rays embroidered the sea water golden. It was like watching a giant blue undulating carpet being slowly threaded with gold by a master craftsman sitting high above. Gradually the Sun generously donated all his gold in a steady stream and turned into an orange disc. The round and pale disc reminded so much of a saffron-clad hermit clad renouncing the world forever by descending into the depths of the ocean. Most of the activity on the beach stopped as people gathered in groups and all eyes turned westward, beholding this spectacle. Light peeled away from the canopy of the sky with each passing moment as the Sun inched below, first a complete circle, then a semicircle, and finally a thin arc of a strip dissolving into the horizon. The moment when the sun went down completely, there was a sharp dip in light which broke the trance of the people gathered. Awestruck, the people around clapped as if to thank the sun for a bright day and to cheer him for the next.