hope

It's been seven days since I got back from Kashmir, nestled between valleys, mountains, and lakes alike. Untouched by civilization and commotion. Could have just said civilization. The acclimatization to higher altitudes was a slow, gradual, and peaceful one. It came as a passing breeze; it's presence was felt, warm and consistent.

Unfortunately, the return has been a sudden one, where some of the vices I had stayed away from in those six days, have made their presence felt again. The use of Instagram being one of them. But before society takes over me completely, there are some things I need to pen down, so that they survive the test of time, independent of me falling prey to this jungle. 

At the end of every one of those six trekking days, our trek leader would ask us what our highlight for that day was. On the penultimate day, the emotions were running high and deep, and everyone was crying in one form or the other, for a reason or more. 

What was the highlight for me, I asked myself.

I had heard this was one of India's prettiest treks, if not the most. I did not see pictures before. I like to have a clean slate in my mind, so that no matter what I see or experience, there is a sense of surprise, and hopefully awe. And there was. Definitely up there in the most beautiful things I've ever experienced. But an important thing to remember here is that we were completely cut off from the world in terms of phone connectivity for six days. An intriguing, stressful, and anxiety inducing experience for every loved one, parents especially. There was enough chatter and resistance thrown my way, and rightly so, to cancel the trek so that there was no emotional spike back home, while I nestled in heavenly beauty. But someone had to cave, and in this case, my parents did, to allow me to experience this, while they went through something I would never know of entirely.

So standing there, by each lake, and under every star, I could only be thankful, and grateful, that I was given the opportunity to live and breathe in this elixir, while a couple of hearts beat faster back home, with only hope pumping through their veins.

Grateful 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Ghee Shakkar

Image
I speak to the attendant at the counter. It's not the first time I'm there. I recognize her, in her spectacles, and despite the face-covering she wears. Covid was over long ago, so I'm not sure what she's worried about. I don't bother to ask, our interaction transcends into something more pivotal. I glance through the piece of paper in front of me. I know what it says, but I'm not sure what the mood is like today. I finally decide to go for the Ghee Masala Dosa, as I've done on so many occasions before this. I ask for a Filter Coffee as well. She repeats my order, asks my name, and then, I wait.  There is a constant chatter in the place, of the people sitting, and of those waiting. The walls are just about in place, the white paint tearing down in a few spots. The tables are not spread too far apart, and the chairs even closer. I recognize a few more faces, the ones who are transporting a stack of plates from the kitchen to the promised customers. These face
Read more

D से दिल्ली

Image
I leave for the States in less than a week — to pursue my second degree, a master’s in computer science at the University of California San Diego. The first one was a bachelor’s in biochemical engineering and biotechnology, from the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi. Sounds like quite a dramatic shift, but it’s not quite as it seems, and this blog uncovers how that happened, and so much more — about how I, a boy who had just turned 18, moved to the national capital and made it my home. I decided to start off with the pretext of me leaving to pursue another degree, and I do that for a specific reason. I can’t help but compare the stark difference between my approach and mentality right now, to what it was four years ago when I was leaving for Delhi. The last time around, I had spent the major part of two years preparing for an entrance exam, and I would be lying if I said I hadn’t enjoyed that journey. But nevertheless it was a taxing process that had left its toll on me. In t
Read more

S से San Diego

Image
"How's Mihir?", my aunt asked my mother a day before I was scheduled to fly out to the States. My mother has been a creative creature for as long as my memory serves me, and her reply only reinforced that belief  — "He seems fine, but only once he writes his blog a year and a half later, will we know for sure." I remember this exchange distinctly, and moreover I wrote it down in my diary  — something I had decided to maintain over the course of the next foreseeable future. Just a couple of days back I had written about my undergraduate experience and while the memories had made the words flow naturally, I was almost certain that I had missed out on so called smaller incidents that must have been crucial to my growth during those four years. I did not want to repeat the same mistake, and I believed that noting down incidents, and emotions in real time would aid my memories when (not if)  I did decide to pen down my blog once I completed my master's. So here
Read more