The recent visit to Delhi taught me a lot of things. It changed me to appreciate the fortunes that I've been blessed with and showed me that there are good people everywhere, no matter how cruel society has become! And the most important of all, it taught me never to underestimate the span of Delhi International Airport. It so happened that my return flight was from terminal 2, and I boarded the metro to terminal 1, expecting both terminals to be nearby. But lo, they were miles apart! And because I did not start well ahead in time, there was no option of going back all the way and diverting to terminal 2 via subway. I was left with no choice but to approach the cabs. They told me that the usual route would take more than 45 minutes to reach, while the tollgate route would land me within 15 minutes. As I was short of time, I had to opt for the latter, which of course cost me a fortune! To save time, I unhooked my belt and removed the watch well in advance and rushed through the security check-in. There was a long queue in the boarding check-gate, which increased my worries. But then, out of nowhere, another attendant came in and asked, "Is there anyone here for Guwahati-Bagdogra flight?" I raised my hand immediately, following which I was escorted out of the long queue. As I was the last person to check in, I didn't get my favourite window seat, but I was relieved at not missing my flight. Two minutes, yes, that was the time that saved me the other day.
"Someone is daydreaming!" I was brought back from my thoughts by Priya, who snapped her fingers in front of me. We had come out for a lunch date. As we were waiting for our order, my mind wandered the last few moments in Delhi and relieved the adrenaline rush associated with it!
"That's why I don't let you sit from where one can see the TV! You completely forget my existence- either you get too involved in the show or get lost in your thoughts. I guess we are on a date and not a casual meet!" she made a face.
"Nice to hear that you can't even stay for a few minutes without my attention." I tried to tease her.
"Oh my god!" she was mad, "Can you be a little less obnoxious here?"
"I'm kidding, chill."
Once we were done with the main course, I ordered two Kiwi juice, which was my favourite. I didn't realise it was the first time she was having Kiwi, for she began, "This is the best juice I ever had! What's the composition?"
"It's just a Kiwi mocktail!"
"Kiwi, I see. I have always been meaning to try that but never really did. Thanks, you do have a good choice in everything."
I smiled, being content that she admired my taste of things. I have never supported the opinion that 'Opposites attract' but always favoured the one which said 'Birds of a flock stick together.'
"Thanks for meeting me at such short notice!" I spoke.
"You don't need to thank me, yaar."
"Remember I told you about this place, where I wanted to go."
"Theopani?"
"Yes. The last time our plan got cancelled due to the sudden eruption of a wild herd of Elephants. But Bristi called me yesterday informing me that the situation has improved now and we can visit. So I wanted to tell you the same and know what you feel about it!"
"That's so good! We should surely go."
"Awesome then. He also mentioned that there would be a group from Tihu who is also coming tomorrow, and we can join them."
"It is always fun trekking with a group rather than the two of us!"
"Sure then, be ready in the morning. I'll pick you up at 9!"
"I hope you have informed your family about our trip," I said as I diverted the car from the national highway towards the Bongora Jabey road.
"Of course. But why did you ask so?" Priya sounded puzzled.
"Oh, because the village is very remote with no glimpse of electricity. Once we ascend the hill, there will be no network connection whatsoever."
"So the village is on the hill?"
"Nope, it's on the other side of the hill, which serves as a checkpoint for network coverage."
"You're with me. There's nothing I need to fear about!"
"That's sweet," I lifted my left hand from the gear and placed it on top of her. She intertwined her fingers with mine, following which she pulled it close to her and kissed on my fingers.
"Is that Accoland on our 11?" she questioned as I was about to take the second right turn.
"Indeed, it is!"
"Can we visit it too?"
"Sure, we can. But it is no match to the natural current of a waterfall or a stream, for that matter. No artificial thing can stand at par with nature!"
"Here comes the Environmentalist speech!"
"Shut up"
"I guess this is where we lose connection to the world, am I right?"
She reasoned after I made the left turn, and the shops and houses have started fading now, making way to greenery all around. There laid fields stretched across far and wide as far as the eye could see on either side of the road. The fields kept on swapping with hills in patches. Though it was not the first time for me, yet the lushed view captivated me.
"Yup. Tell me if you need me to halt somewhere or slow down the car so that you can capture pics of your and nature!"
"I want to! This is so beautiful yaar, thanks for bringing me here. We can capture pics on our way back if that's fine with you."
"Keep your thanks for later. You have not yet seen the tip of the iceberg!" I stopped the car, "And about the pics, you never know what's on the cards, so let's make the most of it now itself!"
We resumed our journey after a short pause for the photo session.
The curvy roads around the hill made the drive a bit challenging. However, Priya was enjoying it and devouring everything that met her sight. Being a city girl, her excitement knew no bounds, for she never saw such an immense span of greenery at one go! We then began descending the hill and entered the village 'Chatargaon'.
"At least they have got a school here," Priya remarked as the first thing we saw there was a school.
"Education is a basic right, aye!"
She nodded.
"Hey man," Bristi came towards me as he saw me parking the car in front of his house.
"Long time." I greeted him back.
"Yes, it is." He led us inside.
"So Priya, he's Bristi, my friend from school days. And Bristi, she's Priya, my girlfriend." I introduced them both to each other.
"You can change inside. We'll have our tea and then proceed with the briefing! I need to check the arrangements for lunch." he told us and left.
I changed into my favourite checkered boxers and put on a light blue tee. Priya put on a casual yellow top and matching grey pant with yellow lines.
"Apply this over your bare body." she passed me the sunscreen after she was done doing the same.
"You came with quite the preparation, I see!"
"As always,"
"Hello everyone, I am Bristi, your host for the day." He began the briefing once we had our tea, "We will start our trekking soon, but before that, there are a few things I need to inform you all for your safety and well being. As you know, this place is filled with wild elephants, and as it will be afternoon by the time you reach the waterfall, you might meet them on your way. I hope that doesn't happen, but if you encounter the elephants, just do not panic and stay quiet. Sit down in your place without any movement and wait for the herd to pass. Silence is really an important thing you must maintain inside the forest. The third stream you'll find on the way will mark the last point, beyond which you should strictly follow silence. Remember, you're to maintain order and discipline- do not loiter the place. It's their forest, and we should be thankful that they are allowing us to visit. Also, don't go very close to the base of the waterfall. There is a big pit where the water meets the land, so avoid going there. I hope you'll keep in mind the things I just said."
We all nodded in unison.
"Here are two walkie-talkies, one each for the one in front and back. I'll not be joining you guys for I need to prepare for lunch. We'll be in touch over the headset. Tune in to channel 16, which will be our transmission line. In case you don't know how to operate, let me tell you in short. The left scroll is for volume, and the right one is for the channels. You don't need to do anything to listen to another person. However, you can't speak and listen simultaneously. While speaking, press the button on the right and keep it pressing until you're done speaking."
"What's the other button for?" I enquired.
"That gives a static sound, for warning or SOS! Any more question?"
We looked around, but there was no further query.
"Off you go then. Ramesh here will lead your way. See you all in about three hours from now!"
The group that accompanied us comprised ten members with six girls and four boys. By their gesture, I figured out that the four of them were couples, and the two left out girls were probably single or their partners don't belong to this friend circle. Once we left the road and entered the fields, the scorching heat came hard upon us, and I was grateful to Priya for her anticipation of the same. The group from Tihu led in front while we trailed behind. The fields gave way to scattered patches of raised lands. The forest comprised of both deciduous and evergreen varieties. It was invigorating to see exchanging green trees and barren ones, with dry leaves spread throughout the route.
"Hello Bristi, we are almost approaching the silence zone. Over." someone from the group spoke on the walkie.
"Awesome. We will lose connection now due to the hill in between. You all stay connected among yourselves. Have a safe journey and enjoy your time. Over." Bristi came in.
"See you then," Priya spoke.
Though there was no sign of Elephants yet, we came across a herd of buffaloes, and their horns were utterly enormous and curved towards the end. All of us maintained our silence and continued the journey. The road, which was actually just a narrow walkway, started narrowing further and curved among boulders, making us slow down. I sensed that we are almost there as the stream flowing through gathered pace, which usually happens near the mouth of a waterfall. The sound of water hitting the rock became louder and louder as we neared, and finally, after strolling for about an hour, we were there.
The scene that greeted us was exotic, and it mesmerised me to the soul. Though it was not as tall as the Elephant falls of Shillong, but the fact that it was inside a deep forest made it look staggering. The water, which reached my waist, was cool but not freezing, thanks to the blistering celestial heat.
"During monsoon, this whole place would be flooded, and you can't even possibly think of getting down here," Ramesh remarked.
I nodded.
"See that trunk over there," he pointed to a broken tree that lay on top of a big stone, much above our level, "that's how high the water level would get."
I was stunned, for the trunk was placed about 1-2 metres above my head. "Let's go there," I pointed Priya to the rocks in front of the waterfall.
"Sure about that?" she seemed cautious.
"Trust me. You won't regret it."
Priya held my hand as we mindfully steered our way through the water column and reached the other side.
"Careful, there's algal growth all along!" I told Priya once I sat on the rock, and she used my hand as a support for getting up. No sooner we sat comfortably and gazed towards the flowing water, a fresh breeze greeted us.
"This is got to be the best view in the house!"
"I told you so,"
"And I never doubt your choices."
We stayed there for about 10 minutes enjoying the chilling air and the occasional sprinkles of water that would fall on our faces, with Priya resting her head over my shoulder.
"Are those fish?" Priya pointed into the clear water.
"Yes, they are guppies."
"Can I catch them?"
"Try your luck, but you won't be succeeded. I put my bet!"
"Just wait and see," saying so, she clawed her palms into the water. And as I expected, the fishes got scared and moved into deep water.
"This is all because of your negativity!" she is so good at making faces, no less a drama queen.
"Okay, calm down, let me get you something." I looked around to find empty shells and found a gorgeous one which was white in colour. I gave it to her, and she was excited to bruise through the spiral pattern, a typical display of the Fibonacci ratio.
"Hey, Arjun?"
"Yes?"
"There is something inside the shell."
"Let me check," I took it back from her and saw the gastropod body being compressed within. "It's alive. Let me find you another one." I looked around for other shells and realised that all of them were indeed alive. I put them back into the water.
"Sorry, but I don't want to kill them."
"Neither do I! It's okay; at least you tried getting me something. That is enough."
"HEY, WATCH OUT" someone from the group yelled at me. It took me a few moments to realise that their drone was racing towards me, and somehow I ducked at the last moment to escape the collision. However, the drone smashed against a nearby rock. The same guy came running towards me, "Are you alright? I'm so sorry about that. I lost control of the drone, and it just flew straight your way."
"It's okay, and I'm fine." I accepted his hand to get up as the sudden encounter with the drone jerked me into tumbling down.
Priya was looking towards me in a strange way. I raised my eyebrows to question what she was thinking about!
"I hope it has no relation to what I'm thinking about."
"Don't you dare!"
"It just came into my mind, you know! Please stay safe."
"Nothing will happen to me okay, don't worry," I assured her.
On our way back from the waterfall, we stopped to capture some pics on a flat rock that spanned a large area, and it was surrounded by water on its three sides. "Let me fetch the selfie stick; we'll get better snaps then!"
"Come fast."
I went to fetch it from my bag, which I kept on the bank. As I tried to jump across the boulders for the shortcut, my left leg slipped, and I fell down into the water column.
"ARJUN" she shouted from her position and came running towards me. The group hearing her yell, too, came to rescue me. Fortunately, the water was shallow where I fell, and my head was above water level. My hands came to the rescue to save my head from the impact of falling down. My phone was in the other pocket, and hence it was safe too. However, once I got up with their help, I realised that something was wrong with my right hip, which began to pain. As soon as I lifted my shirt to check, I saw blood dripping from the waistline. They made me sit down on support nearby, and Priya washed the wound with water.
"Does anyone got the first aid?" she inquired.
One of them unloaded her backpack and proceeded towards me. Priya took the Dettol from her, applied it over a piece of cotton and rubbed it against my wound.
"Is it hurting a lot?" she asked me.
"A bit. I hope I'll be able to walk."
"Don't force it upon yourself. We will assist you."
I agreed.
She then applied a band-aid across the scar and wiped off the Dettol from the adjacent areas.
Once I tried to get up, the pain came shivering from the hip and shattered me up. I tried to take a step forward but failed. Though I didn't utter a word, Priya read from my eyes that I won't be able to walk. She pleaded, "Please, someone give a shoulder to him, I'll give the other one. We need to help him."
"Of course, we will help him!"
They took turns in helping me walk, but Priya was reluctant to take a break. After repeated pleas, she finally gave way for others to replace her place. I was at a loss for words for everyone- the group which I never met till today was helping me walk, and Priya, who was ready to wear herself down just to support me. My eyes were moist, "I don't know how I'll thank you all!" it took me a while to figure out the right words.
"No worries. You would have done the same too!" the guy assisting me from the left side replied to my remark.
"What happened?" Bristi asked as soon as we entered his lawn, with me being supported by two other guys.
"I fell and hurt myself," I answered back.
"You sound as if it is some achievement! How bad is it?"
"I don't know, but it is paining."
"I'll get someone from the next village to check you, but first, wash your face and hands. The lunch is ready."
"Won't it be late?" Priya was protective.
"It's okay, dear. We need food to regain our energy," I told her.
The lunch was an ethnic cuisine. Apart from the regular rice, daal(mustard) and finely grated salad, there were various local dishes. The first item was a fry composed of potato and pumpkin leaves, followed by Aloo-pitika or mashed potatoes with chillies and onion. There was another dry fry of fingerling potatoes, beans and carrots. The chicken curry composed of oyster mushroom grown in their backyard. On the other hand, the pork curry was garnished with Lai saak(vegetable mustard), bamboo shoot, and Meseka(Hibiscus sabdariff) leaves. The last fried item was brinjal and curry banana mixed with gram flour, and the chutney was made from tomato and dried fishes. The beverage accompanying was also made locally from Bora rice, a type of sticky glutinous rice.
"The girl at your 5 is giving you quite the eye," Priya whispered in my ears as we were having the meal.
"Is she?" I turned to look, and she was right.
I turned back straight and whispered to Priya, "but don't you worry, I have my eyes only on you!"
"And the women of the world weep!" she tried to sound hilarious but failed.
"It ain't that funny, please."
The group had left after having their lunch. Once we were done with lunch and I was resting on the guest house bed, Bristi came in with a doctor. The latter carefully inspected my hip and the wound. "Don't worry. It's just a sprain and fortunately no fracture. You'll be better by the morning, and I suggest you take rest for the night."
"But we ought to go back home!"
"No, no-no. You are not allowed to drive right now. It will worsen the situation. Stay here for the night."
I had to agree, and once the doctor left, I spoke to Priya, "Bristi is going to drop back the doctor. I suggest you go with him as you'll get network coverage in the other village. Inform our families of the delay- come up with some excuse but don't mention the injury. I don't want to unnecessarily stress them out."
"Okay, I can do that. Take care, and don't move around."
I was almost asleep when the pungent smell of something being burnt hit my nose. I opened my eyes and was terrified to find that the next room was engulfed in fire. The houses they had there were either made of wood or bamboo. Smoke filled in the whole room very fast, and I began choking. I got up on my feet and tried to rush out, but my right leg gave up, and I fell down. I shouted for help at the top of my voice, and I was gradually losing my consciousness.
When I got back my senses, I realised that Bristi's father was the one who took me out of the house. "Are you fine, son?" was the first thing he asked me.
I looked around and saw the walls of the house being damaged from the fire, but fortunately, they had put out the fire before it could take a toll. Bristi was back, and so was Priya, who was totally in tears.
"I'm fine." I finally spoke.
"We are so sorry about what happened. We are always extra careful with the evening puja. I don't know how that happened, but we found the Diya(wooden lamp) being thrown against the walls from which the fire began. It can be the doing of the mischievous cat who roams about the place anyway it likes." Bristi's mother tried to figure it out.
"How much is the damage?" I was curious to know.
"Don't worry about that; it's not much. It's your well being which is our prime concern!"
Once the situation had calmed, Priya made our bed for the night.
"I know why you are looking at me like that!" I said to ease the tension building up.
"You know there is a saying 'Once is happenstance. Twice is a coincidence. Three times is enemy action.' And by an enemy, I mean fate here."
"Okay, Madam, what do you suggest I do now?"
"I don't know." she sounded worried.
I thought about it a lot and spoke the words I never thought would ever come out from my lips, "Let's visit Babaji someday soon. We might find our answers from him."
"I never excepted that you'll say this!"
"Neither did I!" I sighed.