I found in mountains and sky...

I am not a travel loving person, and solitary travelling just kills me!  I prefer having a company or companions on travel. It was for the planning meeting of NCDHR that all employees were in Dharamshala in Himachal Pradesh, from 16-18 July 2011. Dharamshala is a city in northern India. It was formerly known as Bhagsu. So, the best part of this trip was that besides all colleagues, my soul mate was with me, for the trip was open to all family and friends J.

The view from the window of my room was so fascinating and so rejuvenating.  Wow!! It was bliss, a heavenly bliss. It was a place where I saw the union of sky with the mountains and everything on plain, literally. The clouds would just, in a spur of a moment, engulf everything between them and ground. The thick clouds were the headdress of the hills, it seemed, as it enhanced the beauty of the majestic mountains standing there with arms open to receive them.

view from the vistas

The houses and shops, hotels and motels, cars and people walking up and down the lanes, all looked so minute, like key toys moving around all over the place. Somewhere within, I wished to be embraced by the thick white and grey clouds that were resting on the mountains, trees and houses, and wanted to even fly high for once. The picturesque beauty around me completely enthralled me. The fog, the warmth of chilly breeze made me think of the omnipotence of God, the almighty, who chose to breed life on earth.  What are human beings by themselves? Nothing for me! Just nothing! Rather the destruction around is what humans have contributed to, day-by-day, minute by minute, individual by individual; by each ruthless act of theirs, in return of what nature has given us.

The Bhagsung waterfall

I was so close to nature’s peace, which cannot be even thought of in metro cities. Oh, it would be even foolish to expect this in cities with super busy robots. Even though there was very less time for everyone to be with their family members, but I atleast was with him, we were together in such a place where we always wanted to be. We went to the Bhagsung Waterfall. I would sometimes hold on to his hand tightly, and sometimes walk past him with other friends in a bid to reach the top quickly. Honestly, I didn’t for once feel the exertion while climbing up. Don’t know how and why. Yes! We finally were at the waterfall after several halts mid way, looking down from a height, the stream originating from the mountains, gushing down swiftly on a path charted out by itself over the centuries. I was both scared and excited to step into the cold water. He held my hand and made me stand in water for a picture (click ;)), standing with the support of a huge rock behind me. He stood posing so confidently.  Yes, I have always loved such moments when both of us have held our hands, especially when I cling on to him in anxiety and nervousness. I feel and hear him say, I am there.

This trip has given me such beautiful moments to cherish. Admittedly, before leaving to Dharamshala, I was not so keen to join my colleagues for this trip, but had no choice because it was for an official purpose. However, having disembarked the journey, I still long to go there and even rewind those moments and time spent amid nature and love. The circular turns in the mountains, the tall trees standing and greeting us, the sky pouring water as if showering flowers on us, the fog touching us, as if wanting me to feel its effect. Hah!! How I wish time could take me back to those moments.

Norbulingka Institute

I wish the nature is preserved for some more years, for me to have more of such serene abodes with my beloved in future as well; for a few more generations to witness the beauty possessed by earth that I witnessed. I don’t know for how long, for how many more years, this will last in the face of human activities, which are far more rapidly surpassing any thought to conserve this natural beauty; treading on the lives and livelihood of fellow beings, in a bid to meet requirements and standards of three demons of development, namely, globalisation, privatisation and commercialisation- to show India Shining!

Religion and Nationality, both are different, please!

Today, something strange, but nothing uncommon, I experienced in my life. I'm not sure whether I understood it right or am I just over reacting to something which came from someone 'without any ill-intent', i.e. by default. 

It so happened today that I was listening to some Pakistani music,which I discovered only yesterday and immediately traced that particular Pakistani album online and started listening to it with my head phone on. I loved the song so much that I was humming it. My  friend (unnamed) sitting before me and working, looked at me and smiled. I asked this friend, why he smiled stealthily and was curious to know about it till I got it out from this person. 

  This friend told me that it could not be made out which song I was humming. Just before all this, I had shared with this friend about this Pakistani singer/album newly discovered by me and that I liked it a lot. So, I told that I was listening to Pakistani music. This person, I trust, without any ill intention, immediately went on to say that "Oh.. you are listening to the music of your (would be) in-laws' place". I had to immediately abrupt this friend to say that my in-laws didn't belong to Pakistan, just because they are Muslims. I know this friend must have felt sorry for what I understood or misunderstood of his unthought and spontaneous statement. 

 This short instance provoked me to think that how it would actually be for Muslims in our country and around us, who are seen as 'Pakistanis' for being Muslims, followers of Islam, by the majority population. How terrible for them to prove that they are as much Indians at heart as are the other majority sections, the Hindus or other religious minorities, namely Christians (though also seen as foreigners and less Indians). 

This kind of mindset is perhaps deep ingrained in our un/conscious psyche that sometimes even before realising what we want to say and what we convey, we utter words that have already done a damage, and then we get into the act of damage control by justifying ourselves and explaining what we meant.

As I said this is not something unusual in India, and in my case, I witness such prejudices in my family too, with one of my parents, for whom 'Mulsim' identity and    'Islam' as religion are equal to 'Pakistan', regrettably. But, I do try at my level to differentiate between the three, for I also understand that our societal conditioning is such that really doesn't allow one to see through the difference between the three. So, for me, it was no less than a challenge and a cultural shock for my parents to discover of me seeing a Muslim boy as my prospective better half.

I never knew and had never thought that something like this would form the first post of my Blog. However, despite having thought repeatedly, I decided to write it down, and not keep it to myself, for I wonder WHAT SENSE OF MISPLACED NATIONALISM IS THIS & WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS?