I was on a trip to North India
in April 2013. It was the best trip I have ever had in my lifetime and will be
the same. The itinerary was Pune-Vaishno
Devi-Haridwar-Rishikesh-Dehradoon-Mussoorie-Delhi. Here I pen down one of the
best moments of my life at Rishikesh, while we were camping on the banks of
Ganga.............
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Surrounded by green colossal hills, there I sat, on a rock of the Panorama
Point in Rishikesh. As far as my senses allowed, all I could see was hills,
valleys and fields, blithefully wearing an endless green scarf, patterned with
the most novel designs which might inspire the greatest painters and writers;
all I could hear was tranquilizing silence, a sound incomparable, surpassing
any earthly musical note; all I could smell was the tantalizing aroma of the
blending of earth, water and air, the fragrance of wet soil; All I could feel
was a soothing gust, which made me wish that if only I had wings, I would
accompany the wind and fly zigzag across the hilly ranges. The view appeased
all of my senses, indeed. The blue sky was adorned with white and grey patches
of clouds, some of them swaying away fast with the wind, across the conclave of
the gigantic hills, while some resting on one of the green slopes, as if tired
after a long journey.
If I could explain the idyllic scenery in front of me in one word, it would be
‘bliss’. At least I was in that state for a couple of moments. Even though
I was out in open, it gave me privacy like I had never had before. It felt as
if it was ‘my moment’, a moment when I connected with the nature, a moment that
rendered all other thoughts away but one that inadvertently appeared in my
mind, ‘Bliss’. In that moment, I was so connected with my surroundings that it seemed
like same energy is flowing through all of us, me, the trees, the hills, the
streams, the winds, and the clouds… all of us. It seemed as if everything had
come to life and that they were all nothing but me. I could feel my heartbeat
reverberating in the whole valley. For a short while, I felt the presence of
the Divine. It was truly a spiritually moment. I can now understand why the
saints in India, move to the mountains for meditation. I wanted to spare a few
minutes to meditate there, but the time constraints of our trip didn’t allow me
to do that. We were a group of four friends there, but to my surprise, the
members of the otherwise chatty group disintegrated to find their own rock to
sit in silence for some time. I am sure they also found their own moment there.
For all of us, who live in the
chaotic conurbations, time ticks by very fast; every moment leaves a noisy
scar on our life; noise of cellphone ringtones, of keyboard taping, of
doorbells, of arguments, of meetings, or celebrations, of traffic jams, of
television, of iPods etc. And when we need some privacy, we go inside a four
walled shell, which suffocates our inner self further. It might be of some help
but I can bet it’s not as curative as an escape to the nature, which
synchronizes our emotions and intellect and pacifies us to introspect clearly,
thus renovating us mentally. One such trip in a quarter can prove therapeutic for us
and no stress would ever dare to touch us.
How I wish I had means to retreat
to this place any time I want. But to earn those ‘means’, I realized that I will
have to go back to my city-jungle and slog. So here I am, back on my office
chair, sulking about the confined cubicle, laden with nostalgia of one of my
best trips and trying to capture that amazing experience into this article, so
that whenever I’d read it, I will be reminded of that awe-inspiring moment and
the company of the wonderful gang which made this trip worthwhile.
