I needed that drink after just an hour out in the sun on Saturday morning near the Puttenahalli Lake, at Nataraj Layout in JP Nagar.

More labour under what looked like a deceptively dull sky that morning and it quietly saps you.

At that point, all resolutions incinerate instantly and the body rejects what appears like salad, fresh though it may be.

Instead, the body wants to chill on a mat,

or even better, on a seat

with liquid much stronger.

And voila! Nothing like the kind consideration of my fellow nationals in the thoughtful accompaniment of the glass with the bottle.

A bit more clearing and 30% calorie and salts lost must be compensated

and not to mention, the stronger brew is sad and lonely without munchies.

As time wears on, one is inevitably drained and no mat-in-drain or slab-in-drain can compete with the irresistible beckoning of the beanie-in-drain.

Dhanyavadagalu aplenty to the regurgitating earth of Namma Bengaluru for its boundless generosity and tolerance that we’ve mercilessly stripped. A hygiene conscious citizenry that we are, it’s time to wash up and scram with the treasures before we’re caught with muddy hands.

You can only lament, “Ayyo, the treasures of the storm water khazana of Nataraj Layout have been mined by selfish volunteers and BBMP personnel, and we will be left with nothing but rain water running with impunity to the lake. En, appa idi?”

Our repartee, “Swalpa adjust maad bidi!“

PS: A “cut” of the treasure has been sent off to the Sutradhari, Srinivas Alavilli, who gave us the blueprint for this “daylight robbery“.