10 views
MY DISCOVERY!
The train 🚂🚋🚃 chugged into the sleepy little station and squeaked to a lazy halt. The cool morning breeze nature carried the fragrance of neem trees. Streaks of red in the sky ☁ heralded the arrival of yet another beautiful day, filled with hopes and surprises for everyone, including me.
My brother and I were among the few passengers who got down from the train. With a smile 😊, an old porter collected our luggage and proceeded towards the exit. With disappointment😞, I quietly followed my brother who had already picked up a conversation with the porter.
"Hello! Aren't you both the Grandchildren of our village head? Have you come here for a vacation🏖?"
Saying so, the old man placed our luggage in the Bullock🐂 cart which was waiting for us.
"See you later, my sister, had come to spend her vacation here. If you have some time, please show her the beauty of our village. I will return after a month, but she will stay here for a good three months."
My brother helped me into the cart and then he climbed up himself too. However, I still lookied dejected. I forced myself to look out and be interested in the activities held in the village. There were fields in which groundnuts 🌰were being harvested; a couple of men were spraying the insecticide, simultaneously brushing their teeth with a neem twig. 😃
The cart Driver, pointed to a distant hillock 🗻 on the top of which stood a temple 🕌with its imposing tower.
Farther ahead, we saw a herd of sheep being taken for grazing and the shepherd🚶🐏🐏🐏 was carrying a lamb on his shoulders. The cart stopped and cart driver jumped out of the cart, took the lamb with a friendly grin 😁 and gently put it in my lap. The feel of the little animal thrilled me. Involuntarily, I started patting the head of the little one. The tiny bell around it's neck tinkled when it shook its head this way and that way! My brother let me enjoy this for e few moments and then we continued on our way.
I was woken up the next morning🌞 by the chirping of birds 🐦 and mooing of the cows 🐄 in the backyard. I ran out to the front porch where Grandma was making a huge design of kolam. Later she gave me a glass of cow's milk 🥛. It tasted great. Rocky was passing by with his sheep. He stopped to see if I would be interested to come with him. Rocky was elder to me by 5 years still we both behaved like kids. So Grandma quickly packed up a dozen of rice cakes 🍙 in a fresh banana leaf. We reached the Temple of the Lord. It was very peaceful there 😌. We both played games in water, splashing with each other in the shallow river near the temple. We were tickled 😅 by the fishes 🐠🐋🐟 which nibbled at our feet. At noon we ran up to the temple where a simple meal 🍱 of pongal was served. After lunch, while we rested on the cool floor of the temple, the sheep rested under the jamun tree. Bu evening, I didn't have the heart to go home 💖.
I had so many things to do. On moonlit evenings, the village boys played Kabaddi and soon I also joined them. The village girls played games which I had never ever heard of. 😅 So it was better to play with the boys since I knew much of their games. When groundnut was being harvested, I also picked in for a few hours singing and picking with Rocky and the other farmers. I helped Grandma make mango pickle 🥭chopping down to a hundred pieces; a huge supply for a whole year. Even I was to take some with me.
Then it was time to go back to the city. My brother had also arrived to take me back. There was a small sack of dreid Groundnuts 🌰for us to take back home.
My brother looked affectionately at me and said, "Now do you see why Pandit Nehru said that the soul of India is in her little villages? Yes, you could have visited a number of expensive places if only father could afford them."
I hugged him and whispered in his ears, "Thank You, for giving me this wonderful vacation. Can I come here again during the next vacation?"
"Why not?" he chuckled, and the train let out a loud whistle, as if it was supporting his answer, and picked up speed and chugged on towards the city.
© All Rights Reserved
My brother and I were among the few passengers who got down from the train. With a smile 😊, an old porter collected our luggage and proceeded towards the exit. With disappointment😞, I quietly followed my brother who had already picked up a conversation with the porter.
"Hello! Aren't you both the Grandchildren of our village head? Have you come here for a vacation🏖?"
Saying so, the old man placed our luggage in the Bullock🐂 cart which was waiting for us.
"See you later, my sister, had come to spend her vacation here. If you have some time, please show her the beauty of our village. I will return after a month, but she will stay here for a good three months."
My brother helped me into the cart and then he climbed up himself too. However, I still lookied dejected. I forced myself to look out and be interested in the activities held in the village. There were fields in which groundnuts 🌰were being harvested; a couple of men were spraying the insecticide, simultaneously brushing their teeth with a neem twig. 😃
The cart Driver, pointed to a distant hillock 🗻 on the top of which stood a temple 🕌with its imposing tower.
Farther ahead, we saw a herd of sheep being taken for grazing and the shepherd🚶🐏🐏🐏 was carrying a lamb on his shoulders. The cart stopped and cart driver jumped out of the cart, took the lamb with a friendly grin 😁 and gently put it in my lap. The feel of the little animal thrilled me. Involuntarily, I started patting the head of the little one. The tiny bell around it's neck tinkled when it shook its head this way and that way! My brother let me enjoy this for e few moments and then we continued on our way.
I was woken up the next morning🌞 by the chirping of birds 🐦 and mooing of the cows 🐄 in the backyard. I ran out to the front porch where Grandma was making a huge design of kolam. Later she gave me a glass of cow's milk 🥛. It tasted great. Rocky was passing by with his sheep. He stopped to see if I would be interested to come with him. Rocky was elder to me by 5 years still we both behaved like kids. So Grandma quickly packed up a dozen of rice cakes 🍙 in a fresh banana leaf. We reached the Temple of the Lord. It was very peaceful there 😌. We both played games in water, splashing with each other in the shallow river near the temple. We were tickled 😅 by the fishes 🐠🐋🐟 which nibbled at our feet. At noon we ran up to the temple where a simple meal 🍱 of pongal was served. After lunch, while we rested on the cool floor of the temple, the sheep rested under the jamun tree. Bu evening, I didn't have the heart to go home 💖.
I had so many things to do. On moonlit evenings, the village boys played Kabaddi and soon I also joined them. The village girls played games which I had never ever heard of. 😅 So it was better to play with the boys since I knew much of their games. When groundnut was being harvested, I also picked in for a few hours singing and picking with Rocky and the other farmers. I helped Grandma make mango pickle 🥭chopping down to a hundred pieces; a huge supply for a whole year. Even I was to take some with me.
Then it was time to go back to the city. My brother had also arrived to take me back. There was a small sack of dreid Groundnuts 🌰for us to take back home.
My brother looked affectionately at me and said, "Now do you see why Pandit Nehru said that the soul of India is in her little villages? Yes, you could have visited a number of expensive places if only father could afford them."
I hugged him and whispered in his ears, "Thank You, for giving me this wonderful vacation. Can I come here again during the next vacation?"
"Why not?" he chuckled, and the train let out a loud whistle, as if it was supporting his answer, and picked up speed and chugged on towards the city.
© All Rights Reserved
