I never thought a 2-day trip to the village could be so full of contradictions. So many things to to get amazed and inspired and so many ugly truths to numb your very soul. We got our independence in 1947, how much has changed in more than 60 years and how many cobwebs are still untouched.
Within minutes of reaching there, I experienced a purity, a freshness that makes everything seem like magic. While resting in the veranda and watching the birds flying home as the sun is setting, life seems nothing short of a miracle. The clear blue sky changes so many hues it almost seems it is trying out every color to see which one looks best on it. The pinks and oranges, the reds and purples, nature's palette is never out of shades. I kept gazing as much as I could trying to drink the colors with my eyes and wondering how many colors are yet to come. But suddenly all turned dark and there was just the dark deep blue of the night. While I was about to give up on my sky-watching, suddenly I saw a star appear, another, then another, and one more. One by one they came in; all twinkling and smiling. I tried to keep count like I used to as a 10 year old, and I lost again. The one game I really love to lose at.
The world was quiet, serene and tranquil, it felt so lovely, so wonderful that I started weeping and said a silent prayer thanking God for letting me witness the beauty of his creation. I felt as if the peace I had been seeking forever, the peace that had left me long ago and evaded me time and again, had returned to my heart. The only thing that I missed then was my grandma's lap, to rest my head and for once sleep without a worry playing with my mind.
The next day we started with a renewed vigor towards the farms and orchards. Lush green patches surrounded by dry, brown mountains. Have you ever stood alone in a farm with not a soul nearby. Not a single sound, not a single chirp. I closed my eyes to be a part of this nothingness. And then I started hearing the wind, almost singing, almost dancing. I can't explain what it is about the wind. All I felt like doing then was just run around with an unknown joy and grin like a little girl.
Just as I became let the child in me out, they asked me to come and pluck the grapes in the vineyard. A thorough city-bred like me almost started clapping my hands at the sight of grapes hanging. I started plucking them and had them right away. Never ate any fruit sweeter than this. All I wanted to do was eat grapes all day and laze around in the grass and watch the sky - all day long, all night long. But life always has other plans...
