Travelogue – II – Connecting with Nature

I was traveling to Mysore for the fourth time. A most welcomed trip that helped me escape from hot Chennai. Certainly a different trip, not considering the number but based on my availability to other chores of life apart from official work. 

Window seat continues to fascinate me despite the world racing digital. I had more interesting stuff to look past the clear window of Shatbadi than digging my selves into the palm held mobile. 

Loving thoughts of my first time travel, rather our first time travel (me and hubby) to Mysore re-kindled joy in my mind. I laughed at my own innocence and awe I carried that time. 

I was carried away by the serene beauty of nature (thanks to Chennai, Mysore route) that ran across the windows just like a fast moving motion picture. Trees, clouds, rocks, hills and sudden drizzles that failed to touch me through the window glasses, farm lands, cattles... the list swelled that put me in a dreamy world. 

What does it take to dream? This question crossed my mind as I got lost in nature’s beauty.  Do dreams require a problem free mind? A happy mood? An incident that we really relished? Or meeting someone close to our heart? A childlike attitude? Or is it really that I needed an interesting stuff to post in F.B. - as simple as that?

Sudden call of the helper aroused me from the dreamy world to have my breakfast. I thanked him, helped my mother-in law-to settle with the servings, engaged myself in the break fast conversation with her and happened to see the children playing the coach. 

A loud mobile conversation from a lady behind attracted each one’s ears in the coach. She sounded enthusiastic and spoke about her personality, may be to one of her close friends. She said she is a person who would like to have few intimate friends and the rest a touch and go relation. But it always looked as if she were treating every one so close which is false and that she prefers having her head phones on ears than listening to the bla… bla… bla… of the unknown person next to her.  Big laughter blasts and giggles followed that irritated many elders in the coach. Undoubtedly those elders had limitations on the decibel and the frequency of the laughter and they felt helpless in controlling the same. 

There was complete silence after the call. I happened to see that lady on my way to wash room, carefully painting her finger nails. Her face turned towards me as she finished her painting. I was sure that I could never be in her “touch and go” friends list even as she gauged me in my traditional attire. Sensing this we both reserved our smiles. 

I returned to my seat and put my selves back to the dreamy world. The train came to a halt with a strong jerk, for want of signal. It was stopped on the track above a shallow basin kind of field which should have once been full of water, but now covered with grass. Nevertheless, it had not lost its beauty. There were bushes and shrubs surrounding its bank. In the middle stood a solo tree, very rich in age and its growth. The recent drizzle had washed away the dirt making its barks and leaves look fresh.

I wanted not to end the dream and walked to the left extreme door of the coach that had very few occupants unlike the right extreme. I glimpsed at the tree and could feel the cool breeze that attempted to dry its drenched leaves. With a swift gush, the breeze turned into wind. The solo tree stretched its barks and leaves towards the coach, in the direction of the wind. It was a strange sight for me as if the tree wanted to share something.  Couple of co-passengers were discussing that it might take another half an hour for the go ahead signal. I was happy on hearing that and continued to look at the tree. 

There emerged a beautiful dance from the tree…bending its barks and swaying in the wind. It reached high to touch the sky and then back to earth. The stretching continued, but the tree could grab or do nothing and it continued to dance. Dancing in pain and laughter. 

For a moment I looked at the place surrounding the tree. 

The tree was accompanied by bushes, empty nests, grasses and rocks that lacked some commonality, needed for the tree to relate. The tree should have been a witness to many such train halts and the happy and sad stories spoken in the coaches. It should have been the silent spectator for generations across, preserving many untold stories about the changes in the environment, on what happened to the birds that lived on it, about its shed leaves, about the reptiles that crept on it, about the moving clouds and rare human visitors. It occurred to me that the tree was not “simply” swaying but was “yearning for a listener”. 

With a distant horn the train started moving. The tree’s barks mustered strength to touch the coach as it felt that there would be no second chance to share the secrets, but in vain. I was continuously observing the tree till it vanished from my eyes. 

With a heavy heart,I was reminded of a story that I read when I was 16. “Time stops at Shamli” by Ruskin bond. It is the story of a lonely station that very rarely attracts visitors. One day when his train stopped there he decides to take a walk wondering on what the few visitors would have to do at the station. But unexpectedly he would meet his first and only lover there. Amidst rains they would share many stories. When the time of departure comes, both would realize that they cannot be united again which is the reality. Both would have many “yet to be spoken stories”, but have to depart accepting the truth. Likewise, the tree, though not my lover, had to be left with none to share its secrets.

So what all these have to got to do with my question on dreams? 

I realized that a deep sense of observation makes you dream, opening up the gates of connectedness, that is divine. It makes you lose all your identities (unlike the occasion where that lady and me reserved smiles, holding onto our identities) as human or non-human, living or non-living like or dislike etc. If someone would bet me if the tree really “yearned”, my answer would be ‘YES’. Adding to it, I feel, the tree could still speak to me and share and vice versa, if I could again go back into the connected dreamy state, wherever I’m, which is the very essence of creation. I now pray the Lord to help me “dream” to hear the secrets of the universe.

See you all in travelogue III. Till then happy journey and happy dreaming.