Being in the midst of nature is unmatched. To be one with nature is to live a pristine life in tune with the moment
In spring, trees bloom, turning the world into a colourful garden. One bloom that stands out is the bloom of mango trees. The trees bloom and the air is filled with a sweet scent that attracts bees, birds, and people. For me, as a child, the season of spring, which starts in February in north India and spills into the month of March, was a season of extremes. The first few days were spent studying for final exams, and the last few days were spent jovially and academically free. We played hide and seek or explored the jungle trails during the balmy, pleasant weather filled with colors and fragrances of spring. Occasionally, we sneaked into a friend’s ox driven ‘Belna’, (country made sugarcane juice machine) where freshly prepared jaggery coming from a huge boiler, treated our taste buds.
As the weather gets warmer, the bloom starts maturing and with the onset of monsoons, the fruit is ripe and ready. During school days, the ripening of mangoes coincided with the two-month long monsoon break and there are so many memories associated with those mango-savouring holidays. Every tree had a folklore and history associated with it-some were planted by a revered ancestor and some took to roots by accident, some had divine powers and some were the abode of ghosts, some bore fruits every year and some never. The rain soaked days, paddy fields and trees blanketed in green, mango trees loaded with fruits, the streams filled with fresh water meandering leisurely downhill, the early morning calls of ‘koel’(Cuckoo) and the company of friends made those times truly memorable ones.
It was like reliving all those past moments when I was at home at the beginning of the mango bloom. A whiff of fresh fragrance from our courtyard blooming mango tree transported me back in time. I savoured every day trying to hold on to those smells, sights and flavours and enjoyed every moment of spring at home. The sun rises woke me up early to witness the most spectacular sights of nature and the sunsets took me to the highest hilltop in the village, the flowing streams led me on paths less taken, the forests took me in a search of wild, I sat under trees and felt the morning breeze touching my cheeks, I roamed in wheat fields and saw the fresh dew drops kissing the tender plants, I heard the birds chirping in the silence of mornings, I sat on the bank of the rivers to feel the stillness and solitude, I met old friends and we talked late into the nights, like good old times and doing all this I understood the true meaning of living in moments.
(The writer pens down stories of human interest and his travels . He also likes to click portraits)
