A HAPPY WORLD WITH MY MOTHER NATURE

By SAHANA MANIKANDAN

I, not a happy, lucky usual frequent traveler,

Just a typical Indian girl, filled only with loads of exotic dreams and sweet wishes.

Simple like travelling happily with no stops, like a bird whenever and wherever it wishes to fly.

Like any other girl of this society, who wishes to be born as a boy so that she could travel anywhere and

Anytime, without any fear of hearing the usual ‘NOs’ of the so-called “safe strict society”. Oh seriously? Really safe?

Oh, to a tour? Alone to a camp? To an excursion? To meet your friends? Oh, To Here? To There? And To Anywhere at Any time?

And yes at last, Maybe to your wonder- ‘Oh, by this time, all alone to the terrace (of your own house)? “No No No” Don’t go there now.’

Among all the “NOs” of a typical Indian girl’s life, I wonder till now how just a normal day turned into one of the happiest days of my life yet.

It was on one of my birthdays, started just as a wish to travel to a Zoological park, turned into a beautiful day to be pictured in my mind and soul forever.

It began just as a tiresome travel in the local bus on a hot sunny day, filled with sweat and dust of a polluted city with my silly colleague, who, same as myself,

A young south Indian girl, yearning to enter into the nature’s everlasting beautiful world, like other visitors we entered but with some small stars shining in our eyes.

As it’s our new experience of being alone, with an unknown crowd of two and four legged beings. Like two little kids running around the world of candy, we ran around.

Oh see, the swimming ducks, a big chimpanzee and zebras; there some bathing hippos and sloth bears; Oh there an elephant and giraffes; some monkeys; big rhinos and apes;

Some tigers yellow and a few white; bison, squirrel monkeys, ostriches; some reptiles, parrots and few deer and fawns; peacocks and parakeets; lion-tailed macaques and leopards

Ready for the lion safari now? To meet the kings of the park, we waited. Taken into the well protected area in a caged van, we saw just four lions there, a two named Rahul and Indra.

An official there, revealed us the lions’ names. To our surprise, they were playing like any other little cats in our houses. But, really? Are they the kings of the forests as told for centuries?

Looked lean and tired, gasping under the summer sun with very less mane and ribs that could be seen just beneath the skin as though its skeleton is covered with a hide. Maybe they on diet.

Excited, like small children, even in our twenties, we looked happily at them took pictures, to keep them cherished in our memories forever but sorry we don’t have those photos to show now.

Even now, when I close my eyes, can see vivid, the Sight of every bird and animal there - some with their families, some with their friends playing happily, some sitting all alone looking sad.

All of sudden dropped from the heaven, sweet droplets of nectar which really made our day very special. Fell on us are such heavy drops of rain that we could not even open our eyes to see.

Everyone there ran searching for a place to hide, avoiding such sweet drops of heaven, but not us. We, smiling happily, spreading our hands; drenching ourselves; enjoying the God given gift.

Not peacocks this time, But two peahens danced in such a heavy downpour as there was no one around us to look and think whether we have gone mad. All others away from the blessings.

Enjoyed the blobs of ecstasy, felt ourselves to be the happiest of the world. Stagnated water up to our knees and drops falling over us, we laughed and shouted crazily. Oh, a Blissful Bless.

Just a few minutes, then ended the downpour and came chill wind. Like two little drenched wild birds, shivering in our wet clothes, we amazed how beautifully the rain washed every tree;

Cleaned every dry leaf away from the plants; bathed every animal and bird there and threw the flowers of all trees all over the roads. How elegantly the shower changed everything!

Yes even now when I close my eyes, after six years of my visit to the park, I can still feel the chill drops and the sweet smell of rain; I can see the beauty of flower thrown roads.

And I could hear the sounds of chirping birds afresh after the heavy rain and feel the chill wind and drizzling that goosebumped us. How could I forget that day in my life?

Such a normal day and very normal experience for some other people turned to be a very special day that still stays in my mind. What other gift can I expect from her?

Whenever I close my eyes and think, with its entire crystal clear picture, the day will stay forever in my mind and bring back the same cheerful smile I had that day.

Making my birthday a happiest one, Nature in her own way made me joyous and gifted happiness forever. Do I need to go back there to be happy again?

In every big tree and its every beautiful green leaves, in every sprout from a seed and rustle of the fallen weed, in every drop of heavenly rain,

In every blooming buds, every fragrant wild flowers and its sweet drop of honey, in every little chirping birds and running squirrels,

In every this and that around me, with nature as its mother name, I could see the sweet lovely lady smiling at me, Oh!

Tenderly, with all her bounty of beauty; and with her soft lovely caring hands open to gently caress me. Oh!

I, with great hope and desire, yearn for wings to break through every barrier and fly happily,

With wind on my face into every cloud enjoying delightfully on this Earth,

The beauty of my mother nature.

By SAHANA MANIKANDAN