Smiles

It appears to me that nature is the store house of all beautiful things in the world. In my formative years I was fortunate enough to share the unforgettable moments in the lap of nature. Our village was surrounded by good forest, if not thick one. In my childhood days my Grandfather, (his body was all muscles) with a spear in hand, used to take us for a walk in the early morning. We walk through the single road surrounded by forest cover on both the sides. While passing through the road we inhale the scent of the jungle flowers which was really amazing. As the dawn progresses we hear the awakening sounds of the jungle fowls in combination with the bird songs creating an unforgettable symphony as if welcoming us to their kingdom.  The experience was sheer ecstasy.  Now after more than fifty years whenever I visit my village the scene and the sight saddens me deep down under simply because we could not preserve our heritage. We have a beautiful road now which has been under the process of being widened to a four-lane but no forest, no wild life. During my school days we occasionally go to the forest in a group to roam around and feel the smell of forest which was engrossing and enchanting. Such roaming even for a short period invigorates and inspires but perhaps we have cruelly deprived our progeny from any such delight. I have visited zoos especially open air zoos but roaming in the forest is always different. During my short tenure in the Forest Department I chanced upon visiting Similipal Tiger Reserve Forest and enjoyed the reserve forest with beautiful wild life. I had another occasion to visit Kaziranga National Park. The elephant ride early in the morning with wild life all around is wonderful and it brought back memories of my childhood days. Take a child to any part of this unbridled forest and mark how sweetly he/she giggles. This innocent smile is the gift of God but why did we become so callous to steal their innocent pleasure in denuding the forest cover? A smile costs you nothing but means much to the beholder. I believe smile is the best part of one’s personality. A smiling woman is much more beautiful than a serene lady. Should someone tell my better-half about this natural ornament?

After my retirement, I had promised regular walk but somehow the schedule for ‘morning walk’ got delayed owing to many factors including the negligence of both the participants-but my wife would never take her share of blame. I imagine, it becomes a sort of habit with the ladies of her kind to find a sacrificial goat for all follies and foibles to the extent of inventing one if not possible otherwise. That is how I land invariably in her scheme of things. My better-half is a rare addict of TV serials and If I venture to point out the late night viewing as one of the causes of missed walk of the morning, she would show her real fangs of aggression in serpentine style by hissing –‘take dinner at 8 pm or none at all’. She is aware that I would virtually be famished by midnight if I took my dinner by 8 pm and such arrangement is a good trick to ensure abject surrender. ‘Diagnosis wizards’ would be a small complement to recognise their talent in discovering male weaknesses. During his weekend visit our son didn’t tolerate any such nonsense and purchased two pairs of sports shoes for us so that the usual mudslinging cannot be a factor for skipping the schedule. So it took off at last. I had set the alarm at 5.30am and it is working for the last three days without any hiccups. Wonder of wonders she has started smiling once again.

I faintly remember a story read many years back. A person was very fond of wild life and wild animals. He found a python in the forest and brought it home for his private zoo. Initially the reptile was consigned to the bath-room but the window was too big a passage to script its escape-route. Thereafter the python made numerous appearances in most unlikely places startling the onlookers on each encounters. The reptile developed an uncanny habit of looking its figure in the mirror and was noticed twice in front of the dressing table but each time it managed to escape. The person was worried that such startling encounters would play on the nerves for which he set a trap with choicest chickens and a mirror fixed on it. Lo and behold the python was trapped majestically looking at the mirror with perhaps a pleasing smile!

With the festival of colours round the corner, I wish my readers a happy Holi expecting many smiles in return.