Ah, Wilderness! Where Art Thou?

Nowadays, when one always talks about how crowded and congested our cities are getting, who has the time to think about something called wilderness?

However, I think on this often. My love for vast  open spaces  goes back  to my early years. Having lived in the valley town of Dehra Dun for the first seventeen years of my life, it was quite natural for me to be used to places where there were many trees,  wild flowers and grasses with the silence echoing  all around. There was hardly any human presence in such spaces and   this is what made them so special.

Some  sheep or cattle could be seen at times but that was also not too often. Walking to such sites and enjoying the tranquillity there was always what I sought .Over the years , there was not a single such location which I did not explore in order to  fulfil my longing for these islands of silence and greenery that took me into a world that was in harmony with the universe.

Having left the valley for some years , I greatly missed my trips to these uninhabited corners of the valley .Big cities seldom offer any such corners. The time that I am talking of was such that even within the town of Dehra Dun, there were spaces that could be looked upon as wilderness. Old, abandoned bungalows which seemed to belong to nobody wore this look and were oasis of peace for the eyes and the soul. Looking at them from outside or even venturing into their wildly growing  gardens  provided a joy which has been forgotten by the residents of this town which is now a “paradise of apartments”.  

The old bungalows are becoming fewer  and abandoned ones can no longer be found, of course.People who used to lock their sprawling homes and go away for years do not exist in the valley any more. Roads used to be quite deserted and one could cross them without any worry .That was also a wonderful experience that I miss . The bazaars were never crowded .Leisure was the key word for Doon. That atmosphere itself was enough to provide happiness and calmness. Some of my friends say that I am wrong in missing the times  when people were few and open spaces were many.They seem to prefer this thickly populated city which Doon has now become. However, as far as I am concerned , I still carry on my search for the wilderness. At times, I get success , at others I do not. Even in the seemingly most remote areas,  I come across traffic and noise. And I get upset about it. But for a few moments in a few places, I sometimes do find a remnant of  some space that has not yet been frequented by many .And that becomes a moment of achievement for me as I feel then that my search was not futile.

I recall the old song sung by Talat Mehmood in this context often… “Aye dil mujhe aisi jagah le chal jahaan koi na ho, apna –paraya, meherbaan-naameherbaan koi na ho.” This longing  for going to a place where there is just nobody, nobody at all..has been expressed in Urdu poetry often.The great Mirza Ghalib wrote- “Rahiye ab aisi jagah chalkar jahaan koi na ho, ham-sukhan koi na ho aur ham-zubaan koi na ho”. This yearning for solitude and silence is a common theme in romantic poetry, be it from any country. When one does not find such a place easily, then one has to look for this within one’s consciousness, one’s memory .The tranquillity has to be created within if it is not found outside.

However, I consider myself fortunate that most of my life, I have been able to find tranquil places around me-forests, mountains, valleys. They have always pulled me towards them and inspired me to do what I like best-write.My  love for writing has a deep connection to these surroundings . They may be dwindling now but even then, they have  already settled so strongly in my heart and soul that the inspiration given by them still works well.And of  course, when I search long and far enough, I do come across places whose wilderness is very soothing and intriguing . And once I do find such a place, I seek it again and again to enrich myself , to internalise my life as far as possible and to be at peace with myself.

There are times when I recall the abundant areas of wilderness in the valley. I feel sad that they are now gone .But I am happy I experienced them while they were around.

Nowadays, when one always talks about how crowded and congested our cities are getting, who has the time to think about something called wilderness?

However, I think on this often. My love for vast  open spaces  goes back  to my early years. Having lived in the valley town of Dehra Dun for the first seventeen years of my life, it was quite natural for me to be used to places where there were many trees,  wild flowers and grasses with the silence echoing  all around. There was hardly any human presence in such spaces and   this is what made them so special.

Some  sheep or cattle could be seen at times but that was also not too often. Walking to such sites and enjoying the tranquillity there was always what I sought .Over the years , there was not a single such location which I did not explore in order to  fulfil my longing for these islands of silence and greenery that took me into a world that was in harmony with the universe.

Having left the valley for some years , I greatly missed my trips to these uninhabited corners of the valley .Big cities seldom offer any such corners. The time that I am talking of was such that even within the town of Dehra Dun, there were spaces that could be looked upon as wilderness. Old, abandoned bungalows which seemed to belong to nobody wore this look and were oasis of peace for the eyes and the soul. Looking at them from outside or even venturing into their wildly growing  gardens  provided a joy which has been forgotten by the residents of this town which is now a “paradise of apartments”.  

The old bungalows are becoming fewer  and abandoned ones can no longer be found, of course.People who used to lock their sprawling homes and go away for years do not exist in the valley any more. Roads used to be quite deserted and one could cross them without any worry .That was also a wonderful experience that I miss . The bazaars were never crowded .Leisure was the key word for Doon. That atmosphere itself was enough to provide happiness and calmness. Some of my friends say that I am wrong in missing the times  when people were few and open spaces were many.They seem to prefer this thickly populated city which Doon has now become. However, as far as I am concerned , I still carry on my search for the wilderness. At times, I get success , at others I do not. Even in the seemingly most remote areas,  I come across traffic and noise. And I get upset about it. But for a few moments in a few places, I sometimes do find a remnant of  some space that has not yet been frequented by many .And that becomes a moment of achievement for me as I feel then that my search was not futile.

I recall the old song sung by Talat Mehmood in this context often… “Aye dil mujhe aisi jagah le chal jahaan koi na ho, apna –paraya, meherbaan-naameherbaan koi na ho.” This longing  for going to a place where there is just nobody, nobody at all..has been expressed in Urdu poetry often.The great Mirza Ghalib wrote- “Rahiye ab aisi jagah chalkar jahaan koi na ho, ham-sukhan koi na ho aur ham-zubaan koi na ho”. This yearning for solitude and silence is a common theme in romantic poetry, be it from any country. When one does not find such a place easily, then one has to look for this within one’s consciousness, one’s memory .The tranquillity has to be created within if it is not found outside.

However, I consider myself fortunate that most of my life, I have been able to find tranquil places around me-forests, mountains, valleys. They have always pulled me towards them and inspired me to do what I like best-write.My  love for writing has a deep connection to these surroundings . They may be dwindling now but even then, they have  already settled so strongly in my heart and soul that the inspiration given by them still works well.And of  course, when I search long and far enough, I do come across places whose wilderness is very soothing and intriguing . And once I do find such a place, I seek it again and again to enrich myself , to internalise my life as far as possible and to be at peace with myself.

There are times when I recall the abundant areas of wilderness in the valley. I feel sad that they are now gone .But I am happy I experienced them while they were around.