Home » Posts tagged 'roads'
Slowing down my steps
To map
The growth of berries on trees
And bells hiding under leaves
The leaps that creepers make
And reach from ground floor
To the first
Its the fresh sights and sounds
At every corner one rounds
That makes every walk
A walk to remember 🌼🌿
A morning walk becomes a moment of joy as I behold the road cleaner with her broom valiantly trying to gather autumn leaves into neat piles 😁.
The trees shed like rain-laden clouds dispensing a shower… She sweeps and the breeze scatters… Over and over… Yet, she continues.
It is fascinating to see her resolve…She is oblivious to what she leaves behind, focusing only on the task at hand.
I think there is something vital to be learnt by her attitude…Do what is needed and don’t look back… For right ahead lie more tasks that need our attention… And oh! hum a song, along the way, it won’t ease the task, but it’ll definitely add some fun to it 😁!
It’s down lesser known roads that one still finds the unexpected beauty of trees… Their strength, their stillness, their sudden burst of joy that shows through the blossoms they share with the sky when they bloom and with the road, when they shed.
As we drive, my mom by by side, my sister in the back seat, I think of the sisterhood of women. The joy it brings to share these simple pleasures of life with them…An outing becomes more than just a drive. It is a trip down memory lane. Ideas are shared, plans are made… Even if these elaborate plans last just as long as this impromptu drive of ours 😁.
I think of this and I thank eternity for these bonds… They are precious and time-tested, bringing with them the gentleness of familiarity and the insulation of love.
Keep it simple, the saying goes… I agree… Let’s leave the complexities to the trees and their flowers to figure when to bloom, we’ll just turn up for the show! ☺️
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#gratitude
#TreesPlantedbyStrangers
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One of the reasons I love travelling and walking or cycling is because I get to see the trees in different seasons planted by strangers and under whose shade I’ve had my most peaceful moments on our planet, in my little life 😊.
The horticulturists who decide on vegetation for entire cities, keeping every avenue, neighborhood and road in mind, don’t think of the ‘now’, they plan for generations ahead. Realizing full well that the fruits of these trees and the shade of them will belong to grateful strangers, decades later.
When the foundation for Chandigarh was being laid down by Le Corbusier, I read that he had planned the sectors colour-wise 🤗… He had planned that each section of the city will be in full-bloom at different times of year!
Planting trees is an art known to a chosen few professionals who devote their life learning about soil and water and seeds and nurturing… These are the souls who give our city their green lungs.
Should we not bow our heads in reverence, if not to them and their foresight, then at least to the majestic greenery around us?
No one should cut them with impunity, by getting some papers signed from an indifferent office bearer.
These are our treasures to be safe-guarded for the generations ahead. These are to be hugged whenever the opportunity presents itself 😊🙏❤️
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#trees #treesofdelhi #nature #beauty #stillness #magic #zenmoment
‘The Road goes ever on and on
Down from the door where it began.
Now far ahead the Road has gone,
And I must follow, if I can,
pursuing it with eager feet,
Until it joins some larger way
Where many paths and errands meet.
And wither then? I cannot say..’
JRR Tolkien
Pedong, West Bengal,
May, 2015
A drive through the Sal forests of Doon is always a memorable one. The thick cover of trees is home to many species of birds and animals.
What I find very interesting to watch is the poses that monkeys make as they sit perched on stumps of trees or sundry rocks! They look most human as they watch humanity rush by, sometimes scratching their heads in wonder at our impatience to overtake one another at all costs!
The roads in Himachal that take one to Spiti and beyond can make the heart clutch with fear and excitement. This overhanging mountain through which a road was blasted, makes one duck ones head automatically!
Driving there is an amazing experience indeed and one has new respect for the Border Roads Organisation (BRO), that create and maintain these roads 🙂
Our curiosity to know
What lies beyond the curve
of the road
Is both, our greatest strength
And our biggest weakness…
Some time back I resolved that I would not use the car horn more than two and a half times during any drive. It was an experiment that I wanted to conduct for myself to see if it was even possible to drive in this manner in a place like Delhi. So it was two loud honks for events that could metamorphose into a potential catastrophe and one little beep for a small unforeseen event.
Living in a country where vehicles literally order drivers with `HORN PLEASE` signs emblazoned on their vehicles in order to get road space, my decision was a tall order to accomplish! This decision entailed much thought and self-control. Judging every situation for its `Honkworthiness` kept me involved in my driving in a novel and exciting way.
Because of this self-imposed rule, I was more vigilant on the road and kept the speed under check. It is well known that speeding vehicles make the most noise. In realising that honking was not a limitless luxury, I kept a close eye on jay walkers and sundry other impulsive road crossers like cyclists, motorcyclists, autos and the four-legged variety in the form of stray dogs, cats and cattle.
Listening to music and driving with rationed honks can be a wonderful experience. One is slow to come to a boil… Honking and speeding raises the adrenalin of the driver and the other motorists, tempers flare and anger reaches the surface much faster.
In my meditative, non-excitable, low honking state, I gave way to traffic that would otherwise have a long wait to enter a by lane. Most drivers who benefitted from my generosity had a look of astonishment on their face as they crossed me. Some openly doubted their good fortune and thought that this might be a ruse on my part to knock them sideways. As they tentatively crossed me, sometimes I would get a `Thumbs up` from them and a relieved smile. A good deed done, indeed!
When I don’t approach the road as a war zone, it doesn’t turn into one. When I stick to my lane, I organise more than my thoughts, I clarify my intention, thereby simplifying decision-making for the other drivers. (hopefully/wishfully!)
In limiting my driving to Two and a Half Honks, I hope to`Be the Change I am Looking For!`
…And hopefully, live to see it 😀
Indian Saffron.. by prenita dutt 