In the backyards of the beyond
Last
week, I travelled to this part of the world which I hadn’t imagined in my
wildest dreams that I would visit one day. I stepped in to the scenic, lush
green, pristine piece of Earth that is Uttarakhand. There is an old world charm
about this place, uncorrupted by the ways of the modern world. It isn’t
crowded, polluted or clogged with vehicles. The roads were long and winding,
serenaded by monstrous mountains and huge pine trees.
What struck me about the place was
its deafening silence. I did not quite get used to this sound of silence. There
was always this feeling that I was missing something. I felt I was in the
backyards of the beyond; away and aloof from everything. I went out on a walk
where I couldn’t find a person on the road even after a good 10 minutes of
stroll. I found a fox cross my path only to be told by the guest house manager
that tigers also came down at times. Seeing the horror on my face, he said “Nothing
to worry, they are small tigers”. I couldn't fathom how it is a relief!
I realized how much of an effect the
surroundings have on one’s mindset and approach. I was lamenting about my
commute back to Delhi and eventually to Chennai. I wondered if the hairpin
filled roads would block my way and the people there said it is quite common
and I can travel the next day. There was a sea of a difference in the way
people looked at the concept of time. Generally, we all would like to reach a
place before 11 if we want to reach there by 11. Here, people factored in
various happenings like a tree falling or a truck breaking down right at the
turn of a hairpin. Connectivity here is never taken for granted. Your cell
phone can go on mute and the internet can blank out at will. They were more
accustomed to these uncertainties.
Another difference was the abundance
of time people had in this part of the world; so much so that I began getting
terribly bored. Being used to a life where one needs to compromise on sleep to
catch up with the world, here I was with a surplus of time and completely
caught unawares how to deal with it. I asked one of the professors in the
college there as to what he does after work. He said “I reach home in 15
minutes after the class gets over by 5. I have a cup of tea and relax. This being a
remote place, there isn’t many TV channels that you can watch. Internet can
also get sporadic. Add to that a power outage which is highly dependent on the
weather.” So how do you pass time, I asked. He said that they went to a nearby
town ship. On my way back, I saw the town ship he mentioned. A handful of shops
and eateries was what the township was all about.
I hadn’t got as much time to myself
in the recent past with nothing to do and nowhere to go to. I slipped in to a
bit of introspection and realized how important it is for me to be around
people whom I hold close. Also, how easy it is to find some time for oneself
and for those one cares about.
We all fret about how we don’t find
time in this fast paced world of ours. But when gifted with an hourglass full
of time, many of us don’t know how to deal with it. At least I did not.
For all the foibles of the city, I was dying to get back to the hustle and bustle of it. It is good to get away to places like these once in a while. If not for anything, to realize how blessed with comforts most of our lives are.
Arun Babu
This is really great to b alone at places full of silence where you can have a talk with yourself....indeed post :)
ReplyDeleteThank you Noopur :)
Delete