And there I left my heart...

I had always seen the beauty of my country in pictures, but beholding It with naked eye was an altogether a different experienc - a humbling one it was! I can never forget those awe-inspiring moments spent with husband in those serene lands where, for the first time in life, I felt the joy of being so close to nature... I had once read somewhere, "there's no wifi in forest, but you'll find a better connection." For the first time in my life I experienced that 'connection' which had hitherto remained hidden from my perception. The sight of the mountains and sky high trees covered with clouds early in the morning, and the sound of the Neelam River flowing, that came from somewhere deep down was an experience, that will forever remain etched in my memory. I will always remember how it felt like standing against the picket fence in the backyard of the resort where we were staying in, gazing at the magnificent beauty of the far away mountains of Kashmir, only the silhouettes of which were visible to us. I will always remember the silence of those misty moments when neither of us would speak to each other and remain engrossed in looking endlessly at those endless clouds, which would eclipse our view of the mountains every now and then, leaving us spellbound by the pristine glory that nature still retains in these areas.

There were countless moments in this short a trip when I would quietly say to myself: what would Jannah be like? This question would always remind me of the couplet Dr Iftikhar Shafi once recited to us in his literary criticism class, where he equated "khwaab" in the second verse with the pursuit of Jannah! What a novel interpretation it was! 

"Kyu~ haqiiqat ke ta'aqub me~ guzaari jae

Zindagi kyu~ na kisi khwaab pe vaari jae"

Coming back to the subject of this post, all I can say is that I left a part of myself in those echoing mountains, in the voice of that pure water which gushes out of rocks only because The Merciful has willed it thus! I have left my heart in those empty spaces where clouds float uninhibited, where the sound of the jungle resounds endlessly, and where birds are actually heard praising the Lord of the worlds. I have left my heart in those empty spaces which abound with a richness and fulfillment which forever remains absent in the din of the cities...

p.s. The process of writing is indeed cathartic. After all, it helps us re-live those moments that make our life worth living for ... It gives us a chance to 'recollect our emotions in tranquility!' :)