Saturday, May 10, 2008

The unexpected trip to Orissa – happiness unfold

I don’t remember when was the last time I had been to this place but one thing that I still remember is that I am attached with this place in some or other ways. When I look back it was like almost a decade. This HOT Summer, I dragged myself out of the luxury shell to this place. Initially I was clueless where I was heading, knowing that this journey wouldn't be the usual one but again life has its own truths for each one of us. And I accepted that without being carried away from it.

What I have explored in those two days will remain forever with me. As someone rightly said –“You can never step into the same river; for new waters are always flowing on to you”. I am so glad now because I was able to make it to that place 'where my roots are buried'.

After a 24hrs train journey from B’lr, I reached at my home town station. It was then I realized how I was missing them all. It was a overwhelming moment for me; a moment where I felt as if the roads, the tress, the buildings and all those faces were desperately waiting to welcome me. Oh! I am completely wordless to put all those feelings running inside me then …

I had to stay there at home until the next day to catch a bus to a village which is around 40 K.ms away from my home town. How I wonder, I have had never been to such an amazing place; summer god had forgiven me, I was on my way … This particular village has always something more to offer; it is surrounded with two beautifully curved river and dense trees all around. One of the river is known as ‘Rushikulya’, which is a popular river in the southern part of Orissa.

A view of the river- Rushikulya.

The best part is yet to come; I had to cross the entire breadth of the river to spot a narrow pathway in between those huge tresses that leads to entrance of this village. The wind came briskly on the way to ease my mind lets go a thousand things and I was totally in a different world; faraway from the reach of the routine mechanical and artificial urban life style. It took me around 30 mins to walk over the gradually drying river bed and from there another 15 mins to reach at the ages old house. It was invariably holding the identity with this village.

You can find the red arrow mark on this picture, that is the entrance to the small and beautiful village.

The trees, the birds, the wind, the sky, the people, the food and nevertheless almost everything; amazed me how they are different. The one night stay helped me to see and realise things which otherwise, I would have missed for a life time. It made me a bit closer to where I belong, a bit closer to this wonderful culture, a bit closer to those wonderful people, a bit closer to this beautiful place and bit farer from the artificial city crowd.

The sun does not forget a village just because it is small.

There is a beauty in the silver singing river, there is beauty in the sunset in the sky and there is a beauty in this land.

If you stretch your eyes on both sides of the river then you would see the faded green paddy fields gradually merging with the view of wide blue sky.

There is a beauty in the darkness of the night that holds the reflections of silence.

The true colors of life ...

An early morning breathtakingly view

They are the backbone of our country and how can I forget them they feed the entire nation, they are the farmers.

Now again I am back to the noise of the city, with all those wonderful memories packed with me. I wish one day I could find my share of peace there and that reminds me; I am away form it chasing my own destiny.

22 comments:

Aravind The Player said...

orissa is a nice place .i hope that u should go to every place

Anonymous said...

the pics r so beautifull!! and very refreshing!
glad u had an enlightening time there!

alok said...

@arvind – Thanks for dropping by here. Yes I do :)

@shams – Thanks for the comment. Indeed, that was enlightening and also the trip brought me some of those lost smiles back :)

Indrani said...

I have been to Konark many years ago, reading this post was an eyeopener to me.

"The sun does not forget a village just because it is small." So true Alok. Is it your own quote? Loved the pictures too.

Thanks for visiting my little site in this vast cyberspace.:)

Janukin said...

“You can never step into the same river; for new waters are always flowing on to you”.

How true the line is...
The pics are just great.
You must have had a smashing time there.

alok said...

@Indrani - glad to see that this post is an eye opener for someone else other than me. Hey, the quote you were talking about it is a my version; I have read it some thing similar somewhere :)

You are welcome and thanks for dropping by here ...

alok said...

@janukin - Good to see you liked it ... Thank you so much for the comment.

Unknown said...

Its like they say-'Home is where the happiness is'... well, wat more do i hav to say :)
Also, the last few lines of the blog transported me to a diff world altogether. It made me realise how badly we humans are always praying for happiness and yet throwing it away frm us each time it comes!!
And then not to forget, we all want something in life...
but most times we are stuck in pursuing something else because we also want to find a place in this BIG world and not just in the lil' world of our own!!!!
Its good to come back home... n feel LIFE for a lil' while... isnt it ?? :)

S.Bhagaban said...

Great post. I have had sweet memories of rural lifestyle. You are right while saying Sun can not forget a village just because it is small. The life in the village is peaceful, untouched by worldly worries. The people are happy for what they are.

Unknown said...

Alok Bhai....

It touched my heart.I love these photos..

Keep it up.

Ajay

alok said...

@diva – yeah, that exactly you echoed my thoughts :) and thanks for sharing thoose nice words.

alok said...

@S.Bhagaban – Welcome to ‘Hello World’ and thanks for dropping by here and sharing your thoughts.


@Ajay - Ajay Bhai, glad to see you here. Thanks for the comment :)

Lakshmi said...

i like the line when you say the sun does not forget because its a small village..so true of life too..and rural India is quite a different world ..was it hot there as well ?
lakshmi

alok said...

@backpackker – thanks for the comment. Yeah, it is different and so the experience of exploring such places. It was hot ! hehehe … just like a pressure cooker, but lucky me I escaped one day because of the clouds :)

Anil P said...

The point is most of us have forsaken the calm of our origins for IT dollars :)

So, do we have the courage to forsake dollar dreams for a piece (peace) of our own land?

indicaspecies said...

Beautiful post on rural India. :)

alok said...

@anil p – thanks for dropping by and sharing your thoughts. There can be N number of points why we are away from things that we really don’t want to … but it is sad most of us only see the point as regard to dollars /money. The point I see, is that there are times we have to move on … not just to forsake anything but to hold our own identity that we are … otherwise I wouldn’t surprise to see this world still on with those stone age days where every other place, every other idea and every other person was unknown and unswayed.

@ indicaspecies – thanks and nice to meet you here in this blog sphere.

indicaspecies said...

Thanks, and the pleasure is mine too. :)

Cuckoo said...

Never been to Orissa. It always remained in my to do list, in fact whole of east India which is so scenic.

Hmmm... lovely pictures and that caption sun doesn't forget to visit even a small village.

I can see u have visited more India than me !! :P

Keep posting.

Cuckoo

alok said...

@cuckoo – Thanks for the comment. Well ! in that case for me more is less, they journey is still ON …

Jeevan Baretto said...

Great pics..!! I was in Orissa was for over an year. I was in a village too, called Lanjigarh in the Kalahandi district. Orissa is a beautiful place and there are so many places which are still to be discovered.

alok said...

@jdb – Thanks jdb for dropping by on my blog and the comment; I am glad to meet a travel enthusiastic like you.