I may not be a staunch believer of religion, for I feel it make life complicated, especially the definition that it lives by right now, in today’s time. I would rather believe in the more fancy things...like intuition, dreams and their interpretation and destiny. I have never been a planner and whenever I have tried...I’ve fallen flat on my face
One such thing which is again rooted from one of my loves: reading is my ‘love for the hills.’ A region I enjoyed reading about in my childhood, in my school days and fancied in my college days (being a literature student according to me is a blessing ...for u read so much and so extensively ...u feel like u’ve travelled half the world )
‘Blue Umbrella’ by Ruskin Bond was a book I borrowed from my brother (it was part of his curriculum of English back then) and absolutely loved!
Bond’s beautiful story was encapsulated in the gorgeous locale of Garhwal, the hilly region of Uttar Pradesh. I still remember how my mind made rough sketches of the place (and how I wished I’d visit it ).
But often visiting a place leaves you on the periphery of a place. You see what you are made to see ,not what there really is ...but I was not born in the hills, there was no way I could live the life ,even for a day or two ...and so it remained a wish deep inside me , one I never talked about ,one that I thought was beyond becoming a reality .
But like I believe fate has its own way of fulfilling your wishes .Life’s a puzzle that falls into place ...only after taking its own sweet time.
My first rendezvous with the hills happened in 2009 ...I still remember it was the month of March when 2 of my friends and I decided to take a trip to Dharamshala in Himachal Pradesh. An unplanned trip to this Tibetan hub in India turned out so memorable that it only reaffirmed the fact that ‘there was some connect that I had with the hills’. That I belonged to this part... for some strange reason.
And as fate would have it I married a guy from the hills...strangely who I met the very same year in 2009. All of this unplanned, not thought about and coincidental!
And thus began a journey I have loved so far .Now that I’m married into a Garhwali family (imagine...same part that I had adored in the Blue Umbrella) I do get the real taste of the life in the region each time I visit it . Although, it lasts only for a couple of days, especially my mom-in-law makes it so comfortable that I feel like Im waking up in my house in Delhi itself.
Oh ! How I love it. Waking up to the untouched, crystal clear sunlight, clean air, the smell of burning wooden stoves...
the calmness... the peace.
And the mountains surrounding you ...which feels like a great wall protecting you from the forces outside.
Perhaps, I now know why I always felt there was some connection I had with this place. Ruskin Bond’s novella had introduced me to my second home ...only much before its time ....
I would now like to quote portions where Bond has described the region in truest form (I feel this is the magic of his writing):
“Binya belonged to the mountains, to this part of Himalayas known as Garhwal. Dark forest and lonely hilltops held no terrors for her.”
Binya used to carry milk to the little tea shop on the Tehri road ((Tehri is exactly the side of the hills that I now belong))
Once a day, the Tehri bus stopped near his shop and passengers got down to sip hot tea or drink a glass of curds.
As agile as a mountain goat
During the rainy season the hills turned a lush green...ferns sprang up on walls and tree-trunks.
And many such references...where he brings us closest to the hills ...the magic of Bond’s writing !
So maybe sometimes what we wish for does come true in a strange way ...much later than planned but as much as we may have wanted. This one’s the beginning of my dedications to one of my favourite places on earth - THE HILLS !!
((P.S. The picture u see here was taken early in the morning in our very home...of early morning rays, falling right on the flower in my moms garden ...sipping a cup of ginger tea amidst such beauty ...wot else can u want from life ...))
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