The Revisit

     Every year on this day Satyam traversed the same path uphill, halting at those specific spots. There was an ice-cream wala here; another fruit-seller used to sit on this giant rock; that passage to the right leads up to the Temple some meters above. He reminisced every moment he had spent at these points. Finally, his six-hour trek by foot took him to the top of the mountain range. It was a calm place surrounded by all the shades of green. A heavy water stream ran down the hill at a distance. Satyam sat down on the flat ground covered with grass for a while. He had his backpack with him as he was about to stay there till the next morning – all by himself ….. Alone!

     Once upon a time, this spot had been the perfect place for tourists who mostly visited these beautiful mountain ranges in April or May, which were a part of a hill station in Himachal. The main town was located several kilometers below this spot and had all the amenities like hotels, local markets, and eateries. Tourists used to come up here on foot or on the horses. The entire path uphill used to be crowded with happy faces. Here, at this very point where Satyam lay, there was a ropeway to give the tourists the best experience across the 1000-meter-deep valley beneath which carried people to the other side of the cliff in batches and bought them back. Satyam turned his head to see the barren scaffolding of the place which was once the ticket counter for this ropeway. Nobody was there today, no humans or animals ….. not a soul. He could only hear the water falling down the stream and the chirping of the birds all around him. Probably, Mother Nature chose this serenity for herself at this particular spot. Five years ago, Satyam had visited this place with his wife and two children. The three of them had been adjusted in the previous batch in the ropeway cabin full of people, leaving no room for Satyam. “It is okay”, he said to his wife Sonia, “you guys go ahead, I will take the next one”. His kids, then 5 and 7 said, “Come soon Daddy”, as the cabin moved towards the valley. Satyam took his camera out to click snaps of his beloved wife and his dear children as they cheered and clapped sitting in the ropeway cabin. In no time, the cabin was over the deep valley and a massive noise of metal was heard. A huge thrust pushed the cabin and the rope from one end severely malfunctioned. The cabin was dangling in the air and the people clutched each other. Everyone at this end was screaming at the awful sight and the authorities immediately made phone calls for a rescue operation. But, that fateful day, Satyam’s family was not lucky enough to survive the tragedy. Within seconds, he saw Sonia and his children, along with all others fall down in the valley as the cabin completely detached itself from the ropeway.

     The proceedings were harsh and painful for Satyam. The government soon after had to shut down all the tourism at this height of the hill, particularly at this and the adjacent spots. Over time, the hawkers deserted the once cheerful place, the tourists no longer came here, and the path upward had grown grass all over, leaving a bleak trail of what it was before.

     Satyam opened his teary eyes and looked around today.

     Every year on the day of the accident, Satyam alone visited the place and recalled that beautiful day. He could still visualize his children waving at him from that cabin. With a heavy heart, he waved back in the thin air in that direction and smiled.

     Suddenly, a cool breeze of air brushed against his face. A few leaves flew around him and stuck to his clothes. The dust particles blew near him in a swirl as if they were hugging him. He closed his eyes and heard an unfamiliar voice that said, “You humans perish, but I am here to stay. I have stood strong in this place for ages. I was a witness to your story and too many others and today I am here to hold you tight and caress you. Open your arms to accept me as your family. I am ‘Nature’, and I am here for you always”. Satyam sat there still for hours, like in a trance, and absorbed everything around him.

     Some hours passed by, and Satyam quietly opened his eyes to the reality; with his mind much more peaceful than before. He silently lay on his back, looked at the serenity of Nature around, and calmly rested in the arms of his new family.