walk along

A Local Encounter that Changed my Perspective - A story bereft of words

its_me_swatii — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 20:30:11 GMT

I took notice of him in one of those scorching days, when heat from the sun had parched the earth. With coconuts hung on his bicycle crossbar; he peddled through the lane, bartering them to thirsty guts.

I watched him intently as he stopped to rest under the shade of the palm trees along the lane. His eyes looked aged but the brightness in them retained. The crease around them seemed to narrate countless tales; of victory and defeat, of happiness and pain. His face was cloaked in wrinkles; the folds of skin on him seemed to veil umpteen roles played, of father and brother, of friend and foe. So many relations that once bonded him but today he stands here, alone. His hands were soiled with dirt, the tan on them were testimony of the ceaseless difficulties faced, of failure and betrayal, of confusion and regret.

With eyes full of hope he watches every passer-by, some who stop by to relish his coconuts while the others just cross by. A skillful attempt splits the coconut shell apart. It leaves me wondering, how he mastered the art. A knock at the top and the water sprouts, he offers the sweetened fruit to his buyers. The little money earned is crumbled and shoved into the battered pockets. Then he mounts back on his cycle to tread along, quenching many more thirsts. Faintly now his identity seems to mingle in the crowd of millions he too disappears.

A few have passes and I haven’t noticed the old coconut vendor cycling around the lane. His aging body would have crippled his spirit I thought. Until one fine day, I heard a trembling sound. The familiarity of which echoed in my ears. It was him again-but limp and worn. His eyes sunk too deep, their freshness all gone. His face looked tired, its firmness completely lost. His trembling hands tried to split the coconut apart but now they are too weak to show the mastered art. It hurt my heart to see him so. In him I pictured nature’s inevitable law. That all living beings will one day die. With stories bereft of words, wanting to be read by people known.

Another story bereft of words, lies on the face that stands across. Try and take notice of those anonymous eyes. Maybe you’ll find a story of your own.

Photos: Lonavala

its_me_swatii — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 03:47:00 GMT

Nature of nature

its_me_swatii — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 03:33:00 GMT

Sixty-four Kilometers from Pune,in the abode of the Sahyadri mountains is a beautiful landscape famously known as the “Tiger Point”,Lonavala--(The reasons for this name are still clouded in obscurity, but my research continues).

Well,what's strikingly beautiful about this place is its topography. Each mountain is beautifully eccentric in its shape and structure, like it were individually crafted by hand, one at a time. Probably that justifies the very name of this place- Lonavala.“Len” in the Prakrit language means a resting place carved from stone and Avali means series.So, Lonavli in Prakrit is a place which has a series of such Len around it. And collectively the range of these mountains makes the landscape look beautifully outlandish.

We (my friends and I) planned an early morning visit to this place. And there we were,standing 2040 ft above sea level ,in the wee hours of Sunday morning. Oh what a delight to wake up at Sunrise and watch every ray of the Sun gradually dissolve the darkness of night into light of the day.How overwhelming it is to just let your senses observe, hear and feel nature's bounteousness at hand!

Like the early morning birds do, we perched on one of those "table-top" rocks on the edge of a distant mountain , from where the only view was that of the unending range of the Sahyadris.
A few fissures occurred at irregular intervals breaking the continuity of the range. Dried patches of trees and shrubs growing in crevasses looked up at the skies as if longing for rains.
The tranquility and placidity that fills the senses in every close rendezvous with nature is unquestionably conducive to refreshing thoughts and ideas.It somehow unearths those faint and fatigued thoughts from the dark dungeons of mind and clears the mind and soul. Makes one feel relaxed and at peace.

I'll quote a few lines i once read -- “I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
I believe the words apply to nature too:-

I’ve often heard the winds whisper something into my ears, and that “something “ has made me chuckle.

I’ve felt the presence of someone even on a deserted hilltop, though my eyes could see not a single soul in vicinity.

I’ve seen the Sun smiling at me in the early morning hours, and I’ve felt that smile spread on my lips too.

I’ve felt my feet tap with every drop of rain that touches the earth, that "pitter-patter " sounds musical too.

I’ve sighed sadly watching those grey clouds , and felt the sullen sky mirror my sorrows too.

I’ve often felt that mystical bonding with elements of nature –Have You?