An everlasting journey with nature.

Childhood. Its a phase that's most awaited and most missed. We often don't remember those memories of us hopping and skipping around, but sometimes you do remember it, even if it maybe a blurred image. I'm lucky I can recollect the tiniest of details.

Those scorching mornings in Gulf, where we lived amidst an array of mountains. Wolves would howl all day and night. Curious, a couple of friends and I climbed the relatively smaller ones and tried to see if any harm would come. Every friday, a holiday, we'd camp near the mountains in the open garage and each of us would get a healthy snack. Our favourite of course was the one junk that we adored, french fries with kissan ketchup. We'd play games, and make new games of our own. We called this our very own adventure club.

Palm trees that were in every nook and corner, how we would run around them and have names for each one. Their leaves amused us, and so did their bark. It all looked so pretty, and I very well remember posing around the trees and the zillions of pictures that we took. Plants were something, as a kid I was always taught to respect. I even wanted to plant my own tree but on mother's advice I started off with a tiny plant. I took the seeds and did the experiment in a container. Watering it habitually every single day, and letting it bathe in the sunlight. I even asked mom if I could feed the plant some food, and she ended up having a good laugh. I can practically visualize how happy I was when my plant came to life and grew pretty big. I nurtured and cared for it every single day, but soon it was no more. After all it was just a small plant. Weeping when it was gone and begging that it be brought back to life, it was like my child.

But my childhood was a lot more than just mountains and plants. It was about the sunlight and the sand too. As a child, I loved the sun and sometimes really wished I could reach for it and give it a tight hug but I knew that it would only burn me. At school we'd play ringa ringa roses at twelve noon during lunch time when the sun shone up high and literally gave us energy. When I came home I'd run outside and ride my bicycle or play badminton with the friends. We'd enact Sonpari and run around aimlessly playing Hide and Seek and all of it when the sun was out shining. Parents would often say, 'Come in, you'll get tanned' or 'You'll get a sun burn beta' but none of it mattered. I had a strange connection with the rays of the sun and some sort of idealistic thought about it. The beaches are something I miss entirely, walking in the sand, making sand castles and declaring myself its princess. Bridges and waterways all of it around my castle, forts and soldiers.  

As I always say, malls can be built, beaches cant. 

It seems my journey with nature was not over, definitely not. 

Its been more than 6-7 years but I still continue to remain a nature lover. I take walks in the parks, long strolls at midnight staring at the moon and admiring its beauty. The fragrance of the wonderful yellow and pink flowers makes me smile even when I'm down. There's nothing better than sitting near the lake and reading my book. Or climbing the banyan tree and feeling like you are on the top of the world. Its all just bliss. My journey with nature continues, and I'm sure it'll prove to be a part of my life forever. After all there's no better nurturer than nature itself. :) All these experiences have proved to be 100% real and enriching!


Love,
Sonshu


This one is a definite ode and a salute to nature. For being there with us no matter what.

Also submitted for the Kissan 100 % real contest on indiblogger.