Day before yesterday  was cloudy and windy. In fact night prior to that  it poured down incessantly. Dark threatening clouds amassed in the sky whole day but somehow it did not rain after morning. Got a call from a friend inviting to spend the day out in open, to be precise  in a sprawling park at the heart of the city. Sounds crazy..! Ya,it does. With heavy clouds scowling and ready to burst upon  any moment and cold breeze running amuck, decision to spend a day in open definitely did not fall within the ambit of propriety. But then crazy plans are always more loaded with the fun and freshness quotient than the safe ones.

The day turned out to be sombre,satisfying and rewarding too. Wrapped in scarf and jackets we strolled in the park . The gusty wind teased intermittently but it slowed down considerably. The long spell of frosty days has snatched away the leaves from the trees and those few which remained clung to the branches with ardent loyalty…shivering,trembling but still being there. The nude trees  stood upright wrapped in solemn silence as if hermits with dispassionate detachment. Neither the clinging leaves nor the ones writhing on the ground near their feet moved them.The blue mist hanging in between the branches enhanced the mystique,other worldly feel.

It was grey,brown and dull green all around. While leisurely walking on the meandering narrow passages suddenly we spotted one ,just one petal of Kachnar[Bauhinia] lying on the ground,trodden under many careless feet but still emitting bright purple smile. It made us stop  and look upwards  and there on a bare branch of kachnar tree was this single flower in full bloom. It filled my heart with joy and hope.

The winter excursion have this magical touch.The landscape,the vistas which in other season easily go almost unnoticed inspire deeper thoughts and illuminating references.

It felt as if something precious is there waiting to be explored,waiting to be known. Do I have a heart to touch ,eyes to see all that is in offering here ? Nature have the humbling and uplifting impact. I bow.