Into the blissful nature
‘Nature Never did betray the heart that loved her’
By: Muhammad Ulfat Anjan
Summer in its full bloom draws people, especially the young, to spots of natural beauty to get rejuvenated and healed. A few days back I too got an opportunity to spend a day in the magnificent Pahalgam valleys and he trip proved to be full of bliss for it was after a period of three years that I was able to spend a day at such a beautiful and refreshing health resort.
The Covid-19 Pandemic has not only been hostile to people but to spots of natural beauty as well for they lost their admirers and cherishers. There was no one to chant their glory or to pay reverence to their sacred tunes. It seemed that the health resorts too suffered isolation, away from human presence. But thanks to almighty, things are turning better with each passing day and these spots too are gradually being set free from the clutches of gloom and despair.
It was soul-soothing to spend a moment on the bank of river Lidder and to observe things –
The river like a blue bride
Presented me a bouquet of bliss,
The scent lovely and entrancing
Gifted my senses a drowsiness divine;
I found myself in a different world
Where what I thought into reality turned
And no dream was left unaccomplished.
The breezes like carriers of felicity,
To tired souls a refreshing balm
They would come, caress me and leave me relaxed.
Under a pine tree, I was giving my ears
To the most skilled singer – the Lidder.
What was she singing? Were the tunes known?
Nay, it was all deific and divine!
You may come to her with loads of sorrows,
With a thousand aches,
A single glimpse into her shimmering waters
Leaves you relieved, of all aches cured.
Soon it was lunch time and a call from a dear one brought me out of the trance and I joined this world again. After lunch, I spent some time observing the people in the park and kept on reading varied stories from their countenances-
Travelers in search of peace
Like butterflies scattered here and there,
On river banks, under trees, beside rocks
Some relishing a delicious lunch and some in play lost;
You could see them whisper their hearts
Into the ears of Nature exalted.
Like birds set free from cages
After a year or two looked the visitors.
The fear of Covid was not over yet and their faces
Spoke it aloud;
From the claws of lockdown, a day had been stolen
And the celebration was true.
Like me, many had come with their families
To gift happiness to beloved ones,
To bring them out of all common aches
For a day at least.
I found all absorbed and lost,
Their faces like the pages of the most mysterious book
Introduced new and amazing chapters;
Charmed, the reader kept on reading the book
And kept on recording things unsung and rare.
The sun was turning hotter with each passing moment but the gentle breeze would bring solace and it was pleasant to spend a moment in sunshine. The rest of the day was spent in a couple of parks that could never be described –
Carpets from heaven by skilled hands designed
Springs of inspiration for lovers of Nature-
The flower beds beneath evergreen trees
Singing summer’s glory through colours varied,
The local birds making pine tree tops their abode
Crooned hymns in praise of Nature.
Under a willow tree, on a wooden bench
I continued filling colours into my mind’s canvas
To draw the most fascinating picture
That no artist has ever drawn nor would draw.
The water body running in the heart of Club Park
A jocund home to children
Who played in its bosom with bare feet
From whose faces one could read
Sacred tales of innocence and joy.
We left the spot around six O’ clock and I had gathered countless flowers of memories in the pouch of my imagination. I was feeling relaxed and rejuvenated. All my common aches had vanished in the depths of Nature and I returned home relieved. That evening I thought of Wordsworth and his words-‘Nature Never did betray the heart that loved her’ knocked at the curtains of my imagination. The day was now done but the memories gathered were going to stay with me forever.
