The Floating Orange Leaf

 

Whenever I visit a place that is a bit spared from the cruelty of mankind, my first expression towards that place is a silent prayer. The Almighty has touched each and everything with his or her bare hands while creating it. But with all those nuisances in the world, those hand impressions have become invisible or untraceable. And then there are certain places where you can find those impressions if you genuinely try to find them. I sat on the banks of the Kosi river in Jim Corbet. There was no human in sight. I could see as well as hear the smooth flow of water. It was majestic to see the view with my eyes wide open as well as to hear the various sounds with my eyes closed. A lot of thoughts were entering my mind, but to my amazement, they were settling themselves without much of a problem. It was indeed a blissful state. I was just gazing at the water flowing. looking at the leaves of different shapes, sizes, and colours flowing freely, floating freely. My thoughts were stuck on an orange leaf, which greeted me near my feet, which were soaked in water. After a gentle greeting, it went away with the flow of the river. I tried hard to track its movement. I couldn't find it after a while. 

That is how every one of us is floating in the fresh stream of life. No matter how hard we try to stay holding some rock or make our permanent residence on the bank, the flow pushes us gently. It is good to trust the flow and leave ourselves freely...

Just like that orange little leave that came to greet me...

PS:- I tried to capture some of my thoughts in a video - Here's that raw, unscripted video, If you wish to see it.

Rusty- The boy from The Hills - A little Note

Have you ever been on a short train journey, like From Delhi to Agra? My Grandparents used to live in Agra so the taste of those journeys is still fresh on my tongue. I remember my mother holding one of my hand in Taj express or InterCity express., while I was holding my comic book from my other hand. I remember those small boys and girls whom I have met on those journeys. Those potato cutlets we used to share. Those Sharing of our respective experiences with each other. But one thing was common in those journeys - A goodbye, without any hope to meet again. That feeling had a warmth and emptiness that can't be described in words. I always wished that journey would never have ended. 

I had many encountered with those boys and girls again in my dreams. But at the end of the day, it was just a dream.

When this book was ending I had a similar feeling. It felt like a friend of mine, whose lines of destiny intersected my lines of destiny for a while, then diverting on a different, way all of a sudden.

This book is a collection of various encounters of Rusty. It begins in Dehra, where his grandparents used to live. As his Grandfather was retired from the Forest department, he was very attached to his Animals. One of them is Toto, a mischievous monkey, who almost killed himself while trying to have a bath in boiling water in a kettle. The other one is Timothy, a smart cub of Tiger. And then there is Tutu, a monkey again, Popeye the parrot, Chips a squirrel, and many others.

The book takes a jump and describes the ultimate bond between Rusty and Trees.

And then comes the famous Rusty's escape from Java, which is undoubtedly the most amazing, action-packed story I've ever read.

The book shifts the Room of many colours to the last Tonga ride, halting a bit to the funny yet fantastic stories of Uncle Ken.

And then, we have an encounter with The Ghost in the garden. Now, this is my personal favourite. This story has an element of horror, with Mr Bond's epic style, which is soothing as the story ends. 

The last three stories are more of Mr Bond's personal experiences (that's what I believe). 

And when the book was coming to an end, I honestly never wanted to it end. Just like that journey, when I had to leave my friend forever whom I had met a couple of hours back.

If you haven't read the book, you are missing something beautiful. If you have read the book, do share your experiences with me. You can write it on hrntales@gmail.com

Mr Bond's stories are like a pond of cold water, one feels fresh and rejuvenated after taking a dip in it.

That's all from my side. Till then keep reading and keep loving. 

and yes you can grab your copy from HERE.    

HRN

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Connecting with the Mother Earth

Every day I came across many people who always complain. They complain about everything they come across – Be it their job or their home or their spouse or their neighbors and the list go on and on. But in their daily life and routine, they always miss the chance to say thank you to the almighty who has given us innumerable gifts which generally stays out of our gratitude list. So today, I’m going to talk about one of the greatest gifts to mankind – Nature.

My dear ones, every day we have to be conscious enough that our human body is nothing but an accumulation of the five elements or the Panch-Tattvas. The Panch-tattvas comprises of Water, Sky, Earth, Air, and Fire. No matter how much money we earn or many houses we build, no one can add another element to his or her body. In this blog post, we are going to talk about our connection specifically with Earth, because in the journey towards Minimalism, probably the biggest role is played by Earth.

This might sound a bit philosophical, but trust me, in your journey towards minimalism you cannot proceed without connecting with Earth. So sit back, relax and calmly touch your feet to the ground. As you touch your feet to the ground, feel the energy in your body. We need to understand that Mother Earth is the sole provider of energy. Pray to the Mother Earth to always keep us grounded. Pray to Mother Earth no matter how many worldly possessions we might have, one day, we have to sleep forever in her lap. May She never leave her little children alone. Say Thanks to Mother Earth for always carrying our burden on our shoulders. If possible, every morning bow to her for providing us nourishment, care, and love.

I know this may sound foolish in the beginning, but it is very much required. I have seen many people who constantly quote about simple living on social media platforms. But their lifestyle doesn’t support what they say. They are carrying the latest smartphones, wearing branded watches, uploading their pictures while donating food and stuff to the needy ones, and so on. The only reason behind this is they have lost the connection between themselves and the Mother Earth. They are busy polishing their roofs without gaining strength in their roots.

So let’s say that this is the first step in the process of living life simply and effectively.

Though I have missed this point many times, I want to say that I have no hard feelings for the ones who love gathering stuff and filling up their closet with what all they can. They have full right to live their life as per their will and we are no one to guide them or tell them what’s right and what’s wrong.

Let’s conclude this little post on the fact that no matter how many things we have, we can’t take even a penny with us to the other world. I hope this helps you in making you aware of the fact that we shall not run here and there with the purpose of finding God. God is here, inside us, below our feet, above our head, in each and every breath of ours.

Stay Grounded.

and yes, If you haven't read my earlier articles in this series, you can read Here :-)

Om Shanti:

Love, laughter, and peace

Himanshu R Nagpal (HRN)

Edited by:- Geetika Nagpal