Some memories have that effect to always warm you up from inside. It gives you a deluge of sentiments that overwhelms you and makes you smile. It may be due to the unexpected turn of events that made it a garland of beautiful memories to drift through all the pains of life. It is an amazing memory that will always be remembered because it holds so much emotional value; you never want to let it go. The trip to Mysore was neither official nor a vacation. It was a tour to meet a little one. It was meant to be an experiment of a mother and a teacher to find answers for many rebelling questions of the mind. It was like meeting a long lost family. A rapport built through letters and phone calls. It was a reunion of an unforeseen bond, between a son and mom.
Travelling to Mangalore was unexpected and an unforeseen one. Sometimes it is such unforeseen events that captivate the heart and mind to make beautiful memories. When a journey is not pre-planned or predestined it becomes a wonderful experience and the resulting joy is boundless. In fact, a true travel experience should begin from the heart and mind. Driving by road is one of the best ways of enjoying a peaceful journey through a picturesque, leaving one wonderstruck at its beauty. What made it more special, were the little titbits exchanged and the mischief that always lingered, in between the light chatter.
Though I knew that stretches of Western Ghats is full of breath-taking views which mesmerize the people who travel by, I was awe struck seeing one of the best spell-binding scenic drive. I was always a nature lover and the mountains always enthralled me. There is a unique enchantment that suddenly takes you unawares when you find the wondrous beauty of an unknown territory that you have only seen in some rare clicks; those clicks that spoke a lot, wished to see them yourself and then results in seeing the world differently . A journey, that transcends all expectations and imaginations.
I sat deeply rooted to my seat first time in life, with the excitement of
a child. It was like seeing that which one visualizes in the mind viewing a captivating picture. The foliage in different shades of green and the eye catching oranges, yellows and browns of leaves really took my breath away. The hairpin bends and screeching of tyres brought me back to reality. As we travelled along the hairpin bends, down below I could see the majestic and thick jungle of trees proudly displaying its greenery like a thick carpet. The sight of the trees along the roadside with different coloured foliage was like revisiting something that you have seen and admired. I sat wondering what it was that made it so breathtaking. Was it seeing before you, that beauty imprinted in your mind and heart from a lovely photograph or the joy of being able to see something that your mind visualised?
As I sat, watching the beauty of the Ghats, I could see the sun changing its colour, getting ready to go behind the mountains and disappear. The sunset is always magical and mountains added to its magic. The sun was going down with the backdrop of an array of colours and the sky afire with a golden glow. For me, there is something about sunset that is always so connecting with a deeper part of myself, and with just how awesome and amazing it is to realize that one day of my life, though gone forever, is a sunset to remember the rest of my lifetime.
The bright hues, with the comforting stillness of the surrounding sky made an image that still shines beauty on everything in me. . And there’s something very calming about the setting sun, as the day fades into night that promises of a new sunrise the next day. As I soaked this in, mesmerized by its beauty, I was reminded of what a truly spectacular sunset it was and a blessing to have seen the sun disappear behind the mountains. I watched with an unwavering gaze, as the fiery red orb of light slowly sank behind the mountains, and threads of light lingered in the sky, the glowing embers of a dying fire of red looked down, illuminating a curtain in the sky.
The best part of any journey is to enjoy that beauty around you with an added bit of laughter and joy. It becomes a double joy when the others too enjoy the beautiful scenery. It was a drive to remember throughout life as the atmosphere turned into a very friendly and affectionate one with a unique sense of belonging, like a family. There is something very special about the bond that was nurturing. It was like a get-together of a family. It is said that a mom makes an indelible imprint on the life of her children, even on an overgrown one. A motherly affection that had been in the unforeseen bond before meeting itself silently grew into a unique one of understanding.
Of all the riches and assets we acquire in life, perhaps the most valuable one are our memories, which we hold close to the heart. Memories are those that cannot be stolen or taken away from us. Memories can be replayed, relived, and rejoiced at all times, anywhere, and it gives us immense joy as they rustle through our mind. The older one gets, the larger our memory banks become and like anything else in life, they energize us in the sunset of life. The memories that stay with us the longest are those that resonate with experiences of love, giving, compassion and laughter.
Every waking moment of daily life, and some of the non-waking moments, we keep making memories. Majority of them vanish before the day is gone, very few last. Some come back when reminders come along, but most of them are lost forever. We deal with these by writing diaries or taking photos and it all helps in the quiet moments of life as we age. To reflect upon these cherished memories with loved ones, keep us going in the painful moments of life, as they come back to us from deep within. A memory deeply etched in my mind to cherish forever.
2 comments:
For those who care, every moment is a memory in making. That drive too was a memorable one for many many reasons despite the fact that, I whizz past these mountains almost every other week and sometimes, do stop to click some photographs.
The foliage here, often makes me think aloud " Three Shades of Green" as here the word as well the colour green takes a different hue altogether. It makes you go green in envy and at the same time makes your eyes and heart cool with the sheer sense of peace the greens offer. To lazy bums like me who just likes to graze around in pastures, they are a haven of kind, just to be with oneself.
Every family who laughs together stays together for long and that drive was memorable for all the laughter and petty pranks played upon all.
The moment to cherish though came in the form of a golden orb, finding its way down, gently lighting up the greens on fire, making us all spell bound.I remember now, that none of us didnt talk for sometime, as each one perhaps was etching the moment in their own hearts.
Lovely article, which opens up a deluge of memories of those three days.
Thank you Arun.
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