When that someone asks you to get
lost I would say don’t hesitate; sometimes it is necessary to take it a bit too
seriously and then find out a place that will make you feel lot more a stranger
than you usually are. I am genuinely blabbering I know, because it’s tough this
time; I think I want to talk about being in love. It sounds stupid, but it was just
perfect exactly the way I have imagined. That compelling urge to fall
wholeheartedly I felt, was fierce. I don’t even know what this ‘love at first
sight’ crap is all about, Just as the way I can’t hate a person in first sight
it is one of those myths for me. But for us silly humans, we can’t really
predict what life has in store for us.
As long as I can remember I had a
thing for forests and it goes back to school days. My brain must have had developed
a great deal of fantasies about being in luscious Rain Forests back in there. I
still recall how my heart used to pound thinking about Amazon which would
eventually find a refuge at my nearest possible destination which is Silent Valley.
It’s not my Science or geography teacher who did that voodoo on me it’s the
lush green, the mighty trees and the exotic fauna there. I‘ve personally felt
that all such pure cravings of a Human soul are more sacred than any man made
shrines or relationships.
That was not a planned tour; we
had a different purpose in Attappady – to visit SARANG. We had to travel from Trichur to
Palakkad and from there to Mannarkkad all in public transportation. From Mannarkkad
we took a bus to Aanakkatti that’s how we reached Agali. I had no clue that I
would be staying any closer to Silent Valley and AHADS
- where we had our stay arranged surely has a beautiful campus. But everything
seemed frivolous to what I felt in those woods. It was intense, deep and I kept
on falling for every candid hue of Green. Every hill there seemed to have a
mighty heart for me; rocks stood like the most powerful Guardians had me
euphoric. I haven’t seen such huge rocks before, standing tall for meters and
meters amidst a Rain forest; these Western Ghats is a symbol of Nature’s
strength.
It was just two of us and we had
none around to guide us, so… basically it was us and a lot of strangers. We
only saw a small part of Silent Valley but something happened when I saw those mighty
trees, they were tall and even their roots are longer because I could see them
at every curve we passed. Although we don’t hear, I know these trees can talk; if
they think that you love them they talk a bit louder, and the wind carry their
conversations afar. I even started to think of my death while climbing the pass
(funny but its true); I thought if I die there, I would want my parents to know
that I had the most beautiful death I can dream of in this lifetime. But… I
think it’s not my time yet.
Every path we take would lead us
to some fresh water streams or river and that’s it, we can't ignore the
water, breeze, rocks and also there are huge Wind mills; I have not seen such
a thing ever before. In such a climate my physical conditions normally won’t
allow me to take things for granted. I have a chronic sinusitis that instantly
kills all of my strongest desires to romance with a chill weather, but
surprisingly I was perfectly alright. First time ever in my life I experienced
‘greed’, greed to fill my lungs and every pore in my body with fresh air.
Away from noise, pollution and my
home I found a home to fall in love, to feel whole alive. It’s impossible for
me to make you feel what I have felt there, it’s even harder to explain in
words and I am sure these feelings are indigenous to Humans but we are taught
to limit ourselves. This Society has already framed everything for us; love is
that what you feel for money and those silly pleasures but then what about
greater sense of Love, Love this society made you believe does not exist. When
man eye for economic development there starts exploitation, that’s what it
happened there too. Many of the rivers disappeared and AHADS team had been
trying to reinforce the ecosystem and I think they are pretty much successful
in doing so. When I got back I had myself in a closed room in tears for no
reason, I already started missing everything about that place and this I know -
I want to go back and be there for some time because True Love is something
Pure, Irresistible and Deep like a Rain Forest!
(My Bad I didn’t carry a camera,
I only had my mobile cam and much thanks to Rahman sir, Amit Trivedi and Avial band for such beautiful songs.Usually when I
travel my playlist simply have all
Alternate Rock stuff but this time I had gone all Desi. Amit Trivedi’s Pareshaan, Rahman sir’s Rockstar especially
Tum Ho and 22FK songs from Avial and Rex topped my list )
