Without you...

The most beautiful day of my life is as vivid in my mind as nature after rains. Those three hours….how I wish my entire life could be wrapped up in that time. The walk along Camelback Road, getting wet in the drizzle, stopping by to have tea….simple things in life. Each moment was happier than the previous one….if there is heaven anywhere, it was then, there. In a crowded, hilly town in north India, this long stretch of road starts right in the middle of the mall road. And thereafter, the experience is totally different. I started walking expecting it to be a long, humdrum walk. I was pleasantly surprised very soon….happy to be unproven.

The road is literally shaped like a camel’s back, and hence its name. The curve never ends, atleast till I walked it didn’t. It was August, and rains kept the weather cool and mushy. There were three exquisite phases of my walk. In the first, I met a sweet little fellow, a week old (won’t explain how I knew that) white pup, shivering under a tree. I stopped when I saw him; we gazed into each other’s eyes for a while, and then I wondered what to do (am very scared of dogs, especially pups!). Unsure, I kept on walking, faster this time. Soon I came across a small tea shop. The owner’s kids were only too happy to know about the creature, and ran before I could say ‘pup’. I stayed there for a while, had tea sitting on a dilapidated bench overlooking the mountains….what a sight! The only thing I missed then was music…..that lay a little ahead.

In the second phase of my walk, I met a young man playing guitar. Perhaps he was as much in awe as me, atleast that is what his music conveyed. Another break for me; I sat down and drowned in melody for the next few minutes. As I got up to leave, I thanked the young man, said a few words in appreciation of his talent, and, moved on.

The third phase was a quick visit (?) to an old graveyard. It was eerie, standing there in silence, in front of the main gate that was locked. Yes, humans are not allowed there anymore (we are not trusted here also, shame on us!). Only one thought comes to my mind when I think about a graveyard…..papa. Well, how ironic that moment was….so enchanting, and at the same time, so poignant.

Alas! I had to turn back, go back to the place I was staying at. I started walking with a heavy heart, gloomy at the thought of losing those moments, ecstatic to have gained blissful memories for a lifetime! But the most wonderful part of my short journey was…that I wasn’t alone. It wouldn’t have been the same without you.