Apple CEO Tim Cook wakes up early. Between 4 am to 5 am he clears his mails. Is it the reason why he is among the most highly paid company executives?

Who knows! But, then, is Cook the only one with itchy fingers in the early hours? What waking up early gives early risers?

When I came to know about Cook’s habits, I started wondering if I would get high salary by emulating him? Subsequently I came to know that there are several people who start learning something new, insanely early.

Some writers also tend to wake up early to proceed from where they switched off the previous day, much like Virgin boss Richard Branson or Pepsi CEO Indra Nooyi who wake up at ungodly hours.

For them, it’s not just time and lack of interruptions that is garnered by early hours, but also creativity.

These people are not mad; they challenge Sun everyday by getting up early, even ahead of the Sun or with it.

Also, there are lakhs of people who hit bed early, and even then they do not wake up before the Sun, because these sleep lovers strongly believe in the magic of lotus eating as they simply love their laziness.

The lazybones intensely dislike those hitting gym early. For them, the fitness freaks are species from some other planet who are always running from dawn to dusk.

Some of my friends, who crisscross the Indian capital, drive to their work much ahead, to avoid the fanatical traffic during office hours.

There are also those who reach office early, and come home a little late, so that they can go for early morning and early evening walks in nearby green fields. I would often do that while working near India Gate which has the very best of lawns.

At the same time, I have been wanting to sleep late and wake up by noon, throughout my life. Alas, this has been like hoping against hope!

I second Nooyi when she says sleep is a gift that God gives you.  “… that’s one gift I was never given.”

First, my grandfather would wake me up by 4.30 am to (force) help me learn tables, memorise a page of dictionary and mug up two pages of the newest general knowledge book.

Next horrible things were to wake up to PT siren at the Sainik School, Purulia in West Bengal, and then to go cycling to Civil Lines every morning during Allahabad University days.

And now, I wake up early to drop my wife to her work, which duty I have started enjoying, of late. The practice is also helping me work more as I drive to my office straight after dropping her.

I am in love with the peace and quietness of the morning drive which culminates in catching up with strange bushy squirrels everyday as they chase each other playfully while I park.

Needless to say there are many-many early birds, up by that time, either to catch the worms or to knock out the tasks.