Sunshine On My Shoulders

Kausani, Bageswar
Early morning…
Mist…fog…loneliness all around

I woke up early…I had planned to see the sunrise…when the first gleaming rays of the Sun falls upon the Panchachuli…the melting snow… early morning coldness…the splendid calmness….the faded solitude….it seems surreal…it creates a magic…

Icy cold winds sweep across the terraced slopes…
I was standing on the boundary wall of the Gandhi Ashram in Kausani….After days of traveling… I was taking a much desired break with myself….
Sometimes you need to be with yourself…you need to think about your losses, your gains…blessings and love that you have…put them into the deepest corner of your heart and keep on moving….I was reflecting on my prayers and promises…rhymes and reasons…speaking to them in silence.

I was on the edge of the compound boundary….overlooking the gorgeous twin village of Garur and Someshwar…covered in late night’s fog…blinking street lights…indicating the vast distance….the breeze from the farthest hills just caresses my face…

I feel sleepy…

I move across the huge cedar tree…to have a better view…
The little nights music reminds me of a long forgotten memory….memory of someone…someone I desperately loved…but unable hold onto….she slipped away…like silent night slowly, silently and softly….
“Silent as she comes
Softly as she goes
Ours is a love
That none must know”

The little night is slowly lifting its veil to give way to bright new morning….cold chilly night is slowly moving into a bright slightly warm dawn…

Never seen such a majestic view in my lifetime….in front of me stands the huge infinite range of magnificent Panchachuli…just beneath the wall of the Ashram…I can still see the villages…small huts…smoke coming out of the iron chimney…smoke mixed with wet fog creates a mirage….
The Kausani just waking up….
The old chaiwale of the Ashram in his light blue pullover and gandhian topi drifts apart…few tourists with blanket wrapped all around them….few Mountain lovers with prominent Nikon camera fitted with Zoom lenses…

I eagerly wait for the moment…crowds slowly build up in front of the prayer hall…
4.30AM….
The presence of sun is getting prominent…the jagged edges of mountains are becoming clearer…the villages lying in front of me are also much visible now…

There it comes…
The first rays…piercing through the clouds…touches the peak…..
Magic!!
The white snow turns into bright flaming orange…a hush all around…people are spellbound…clicks of camera…
The night has gone…it’s a new day…
As bright and beautiful as possible…a smell of lavender….a laughter…a lovely smiling face…its spring in Old Garhwal….

The narrow lanes of Bangalore are far away…