we were sitting in the treetop hut in the jungle late into the night, as silent as sleeping doves.
the lamps we had snuffed out to better see the lake in the dim haze of the clouded night sky.
the lake was like a mirror, reflecting the wooded hills symmetrically in water. there was not a ripple on the clean sheet of mirror--sharp and clear as eternity it was, so tangible and within reach. we sat thus for all the time to come.
then i realised i was holding my breath. we were both holding our breath!
do you know, my friend--i hush-hushed--we are holding our breath, we dare hardly breathe...
together we dropped tingling into the stillness of the moment and the lake started rippling and a nightbird somewhere started singing.
*****
14 comments:
Wow.. where was this and when was this? would love to visit the place
Prambikulam. I went bird-watching there for three days. Butterflies aflutter all over, one can't trek without bumbing into them every step. Waded through herds of spotted deer and saw elephants, gaurs, sambar deers, peacocks, wild rabbits, wild boars and crocodiles, in addition to birds of all feathers that were on our itinerary. In fact, the sightings were so good this time that we came across almost all except leapords and tigers. One group in our company of bird-watching enthusiasts even came across a leapord.
come home with loads of poems
Just beautiful....
Suresh Elamon, nature photographer and film maker, was the other chap in the treetop hut. He has shot several poems during our stay in the forests. I was in a poetry-less state of bliss.
Welcome back Venuji, I can make you had a great expereince.
Your piece is very picturesque.
not a word of it is imagination, Kalpana.
Vow! Great time you had, I guess. And thanks for the lovely elegant prose.
Have I been there too? Well... the answer is no, but ur piece transported me to this beautiful world...
Arun, Charu, this is an effort at writing as close to the real as possible. Writing colourless, ouderless... Experimentations.
It is not given to every one to visit such a retreat.I could visualise the reflections in the lake and then the ripples on it. the phrase 'Unsheathed mirror' popped up. you have a great flair for descriptive writing.
all because of the image of the institution, Prabhakar. it is there for you too. it opens the doors. but, once you are inside, you are on your own. the second or the third time, the door will not open inspite of the image of the institution if you had jarred at the individual level. from the very top to the very bottom they are my friends here in Kerala Forests. it has been my biggest gain working with The Hindu for 31 years.
31 years! can you believe it?
Venu, I am quite happy reading your word pictures. The mind travel (!) is what excites me! I would like you to write a novel based on your forest forays!
Every one has a novel in him/her. It will be spoiled if one plucks it before it is ripe. I am ripening. (Many of my friends will take it as a threat!)(:-:)
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