A lost moment

I see green pastures. I see colorful tents. 

It is so cold I am trembling.

I can feel the pellets of ice falling from the sky on my hand.

It seems like a dream. 

So it can really happen, I tell myself. 

Hail stones.

Every cell in my body, every artery in my heart feels elated and tranquil.

The smile is adamant, it won't leave.

................

Today when I closed my eyes while commuting to work, 

I found this moment that was hidden somewhere deep in my memory.

And within seconds I was transported back to Padri.

To that chilling moment, that beautiful moment, my moment.

Wanderlust. Again.

It has began again.
That urge. That craving.
My mind is restless again.
It wants to go away again.
Far away. Alone.
My eyes yearn to see the unseen.
My soul desires to explore more.
I want to travel more.
I want to fly higher and farther.
I want to meet myself again.

The Sixteenth

A month ago, on this day, I embarked on the most unexpected journey in my life. A journey that changed my life. A journey of an epic beginning.

Dear Mr. God,

I love you more than ever now. The happiness that my heart contains is of such magnitude that I am afraid to lose even an ounce of it. It feels like magic. You have surprised me, delighted me, blessed me. You have showered me with such love that  it goes beyond my imagination. I will be thankful to you till my last breath.

..........

I am at the Beas. The cold winds are making my lungs quiver. My clothes are not doing a good job at keeping me warm. I am loving the cold. My teeth clatter and my body shivers. I am standing on the rocks submerged in the river that is flowing effortlessly. The icy water is piercing each cell in my legs. My legs go numb after a while. I cannot feel them. I cannot feel the cold. I am smiling as wide as I can. A tear rolls down my cheek. I feel lighter. I am one with the river. I see pine trees around and the gargantuan mountains with a scoop of snow carelessly dropped on them. The river is feeling me, healing me. I feel empty. I feel full. I feel me. I am happiness. I am love. I am the river and she is me. We are one.

My heart yearns for her.

I wish...
Why do we wish so much?

Somewhere in the clear skies

You must have heard people saying that sometimes one has to go farther to get closer to them self. They mean, when we go away from our regular course of life, from our chaotic routine and this pandemonium that we call home, we are able to reconnect with ourselves. We get an opportunity to listen to our heart beating and feel the air going in and out.

I remember getting off the car in the middle of an unknown road that ended at Sandhan Valley eventually. It was 4am in the morning, and it was just us on the road. God, it was so cold! My teeth were clattering. The sky wore a dark shade of blue with a million stars embedded on it. That was the first time in my life when I could see the stars with such flawless clarity. It felt… divine. Truly!

There are many such beautiful and unforgettable moments that place has gifted me. That trip will always be a special one because it marked the start of my journey as a traveler.

No, I may not travel all the time. And no, I’m certainly not trying to emulate some fictitious movie character. I am a real person, with real ambitions, financial uncertainty and big dreams to be an inspiring writer. I just know that I am going to explore the world, little by little. And by doing so, explore myself, little by little.

Also, there is some magic in the murk as it is only during the night when I am able to connect with myself, even in this pandemonium that we call home.

‘...akelepan se chedhi jab guftagu, mere dil ne awaz di...’
Some songs have a soul of their own.

P.S.: I am eagerly waiting for my next trip in May. I’m eagerly waiting to be with myself, and only myself, again.

  

Sandhan Valley

'Valley of Shadows' is another way of addressing this little piece of heaven in Maharashtra. This previous weekend, I had gone there with my office colleagues and a few others.

Expecting nothing, I left my house. My parents in disagreement and my excitement donning an invisibility cloak. 

A backpack and a sling, with only basic necessities in them came along with me. 

The train journey began in a not-so-interesting manner, but as the journey progressed, it only got better and better. 

I had my notepad and pen with me all through, and I captured most of my experience in words.

No, I'm not gonna describe it again. I have written enough about it. Writing more would make it redundant for me. Having said that, I can never be bored of thinking & reminiscing about this picturesque beauty, ever.

This place has given me a lot, but more than anything, it has added a new dimension to my perspective in life. It has made me feel complete by being with myself alone. Something which I hadn't witnessed before. 

Also, now I know what wanderlust is like. I am feeling it. 

I found perfect!

I've been to Lonavala countless times but on Saturday, when I was there with a group of friends, we discovered a pulchritudinous lake. Oh lord, that vision is something that I'm never gonna forget! Water moving so silently and graciously, a distant waterfall on the other side of the lake, huge round rocks, lots of different little bushes, each wearing a uniquely different shade of green... it was only us and no one else around... I never wanted to get out of that lake, that place... so picturesque, so perfect! Sadly, we were running out of time so we couldn't be there for long...  :(
I've not traveled a lot but what I experienced there, I hadn't experienced anywhere else!

Isn't God the best architect ever! I love Him sooooo much for creating something so alluring, marvelous, spectacular, phenomenal... ohhh I can go on and on about it until I fall short of all the adjectives known to me! It was truly a treat to the eyes... and the way it made me feel is inexplicable and unbeatable!
Thank you so much Mr God for that magnificent and bewitching view... just please don't let it elude by mind ever!
None of us had a camera or a cell phone in hand to click a picture that time.
You know, I could've enjoyed the view better if we had more time because I was inside the water all the time so my eyes did not get enough time to eat up all that they could see... but nonetheless the experience was simply divine!
Now I know where can I find it the next time I go.... and I'm certain to pay a visit again!! :)

For the first time, I knew what perfect meant, the real definition, something that can make me feel what I felt like when I was there!
I wish I was there right now...

One of my friend was shocked, how and why was I ENJOYING RAINS suddenly?! Well, that trip was meant to be for that, right, so... Moreover, I was already drenched in water due the waterfall so how would rains annoy me when I'm already soaked?? Duhh!
Actually,
it was not the rain that I loved but the cold and frigidness embedded in those icy raindrops hitting my skin... I wanted to hear my teeth clatter, see my body getting cold-creeps, feel the extreme frigidness the weather that time could offer and so I was standing out in the rain when most of them were sitting in a shanty, sipping hot tea and eating maggi...

And so I've been on bed since the time I've reached home with a red running nose, sore throat, no voice and fever! Gosh, I just can't stop sneezing, I would've had like a 100 aachhooss while typing this post!
BUT I still love cold! :D

Rosy picture!

Last week I was at a friend's place, I'd been there many times before but for the first time I noticed that they had a rose plant placed on their window.
I've obviously seen roses but never before had I seen a living rose blooming out of a plant.
Rose was never one of my favorites but for the first time I was in love with that flower! I was so glad and delighted to see a rose full of life! I couldn't resist clicking a few pictures from my BB!
Its charm was such that I totally overlooked the thorns until I got pricked... The plant was actually full of thorns so I couldn't really touch the flower although I tried hard to reach it...
It looked so perfect! The color, the shape, even the thorns, everything about it was flawless!

(The clicks may not be as beautiful but that's all my BB could do. But, I still love them)