Estimated reading time: 3 minutes
Life is all about small packets of hope and painting surprises. Monsoon was fading away, and the chills took over the valley. My wife and I were silently humming the songs of Ram Teri Ganga Maili, a flashback. A traveler will know why we’re humming this song. We had just crossed Harsil and were driving towards Gartangali. The river on our left was silently carving its way down the valley. The wide basin and the village of Mukhwa on the other side was a scenic beauty as the houses of Deodar wood screamed for attention. It was as if we had just walked into the past.
Old woody homes amidst greenery, Cried for attention from me, Driving down the memory lane, It was picturesque insane!
The trees along the road were old and sturdy. Slightly chiseled were they, and then a number was assigned to them. It reminded me of my roll call from the school. But it wasn’t a piece of happy news for them. They were to be cut down, a victim of road widening, of course. Very soon, these massive trees will become a faded memory.
It was heart-breaking, and we stopped humming. We watched these trees as we called out the numbers painted on them in our heads. A painful odyssey, I must say. However, the numbers continued to tick.
A ray of hope.
Just as we thought their fate ended, a shine of hope appeared in front of us. An artist sitting on her Moda made of jute was creating magic. She painted the chiseled sections of the tree. Not just any ordinary painting. Every painting knit a story as they merged with the structure of the tree. It was all about perspective; it felt like the painting is part of the tree’s growth. We hope that someone will reconsider their fate. After spending a few precious moments with her, we smiled from the bottom of our hearts. The conversation with her is now a happy memory that I will carry with me always.


The eyes speaks plenty, Of his majesty, Of his royal power! While the tree, Bows to him, Resembling his jata! He engulfs our thoughts, Keeping us pure, May he be your voice, Your virtue!
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