Fragments Of Memories

Chapter 1 - The Park - *Present Days*

Its 8 o'clock in the morning , extreme cold . Hooh ! I am ready with my jogging clothes ,sweater, shoes ,my glasses on , ear phones plugged in , cellphone in the pocket ,and music on ,heading towards the park as a regular part of starting of the day .

The park is in just a few minutes walking distance from my apartment, where often in the morning and evening I go to walk . There is an old big bunyan tree inside along the periphery ,with the numerous aerial prop roots creating an horror effect with its mammoth size .

Nearby it are some almond trees where a dozen of squirrels keep playing around , climbing up and down, it's so heart warming to watch these cute, adorable ,tiny furry creatures of Nature . I am fond of their squeaks . Aaah ! It's a lovely sight to watch them . Often I stay behind pausing my walk to watch them without disturbing their free activity how they chase after each other playfully and keep moving here and there ,then stop at one place .I stealthily put steps ahead to reach near them in order to capture in my camera ,but everytime I fail , they disperse quickly and hide away from me with just my little movement . So I better enjoy their view with my naked eyes and instead of camera I capture them in my mind as a memory of precious beauty .

So is the case with other birds nearby . The tiniest thrushes keep hopping around on the grass ,they look so cute ,I just want to take a snap of them but they run away with a little hint of my movement. So accepting my defeat I just simply watch them . So with those mynas and other garden birds . Many other trees and plants are there .

Yeah a huge fig tree too in another corner. I often sit on the bench under that fig tree ,and watch other people , children playing on the lawn and swinging on the rows of swings , sitting on the see-saw , older people doing yoga, small kids doing cycling ,the fat girls doing exercises ,the thin and tall girls just walking slowly listening to music or busy talking with someone in earphone. Young men running ,boys playing football, some other group practicing martial arts ,so on and so on . But I have never talked to anyone and nobody ever bothered to talk either . Just like the most cold climate here ,I find here people most cold hearted too. But it's ok. I don't complain that .

In the chilly winter morning the warm sun rays in that park is the most cosy feeling . After some round of jogging I sit on one of the benches and often my heart grows fond of the memories of my native place, my hometown ,the humble yet most awesome place of my memory and life ! A place where people too so warm and loving .

Sitting there on the bench I recall my jogging in my hometown and the huge difference of jogging in this park fills me with nostalgia, I badly miss my jogging there . All those memories cloud my vision and an ache rush through my heart . This city park doesn't come near the magic of my hometown .

This park can't come close to that freshness, beauty and amazing experience of walking on the roads at the end of town and beginning of landscapes watching sunrise and sunsets , the beautiful sceneries of hills, trees, birds, fields , clouds ,those fire trees in their full blossom, marvelous blue zays flying over trees to trees and sitting on the electric wires .

I must tell you , blue zays are called the wish birds or the good luck birds in my place, and they are rare to find . They are light brown in colour, but when they fly spreading their wings ,it's completely baby blue in colour and its most beautiful . These rare birds were my regular part at the end point of my walking , near the bamboo trees , from where I used to take U turn . Often on the way too I found them. You can guess how happy I used to be to see these wish birds i;e the blue zays . Hahaha ! I was still kinda funny and childish in heart and seemed to believe such things ,and used to think many wishes looking at them .Lol .At least I used to be happy that I was able to see this wonderful creature before my eyes .

Then the white herons sitting on small pools within the green paddy fields, rows of coconut trees fencing before the blue hills , chains of mountains and hills surrounding the entire vision wherever the eyes go, the sun appearing from that eastern sky over the high blue mountain chain and it's warm golden rays kissing the fields .. ! A rich variety of trees spreading separately in the lonely fields and standing tall , calm with their dignity, glorifying the landscape and giving index to the thin ,remote paths to the pedestrians , leading to far villages. Its always a feast to my eyes ,each season had its own unique beauty, covering the earth with new clothes .

I really miss that !!

How beautiful and fresh my morning used to be  in the lap of nature ,so nourishing to both body and mind !!! Every walk every day used to be a wonderful experience with richness of Nature's treasured beauty . Whenever I looked up to the sky ,the clouds would have formed a magnificent design of art across the sky above those high hills and mountains , which was always so spectacular ,a breathtaking view .

Once upon a time that was my regular part of life ,now it's just a memory .
True it's a memory , but I have kept it with most care, close to my heart ,never letting my mind's eye to ever forget those beautiful details of everything.

I remember even the scenes of the woodcutter along my way ,the tribal women carrying wood bundles on their heads and walking speedily with a row coming from far villages within jungles going to the market of main town , without any flip-flop,on bare feet , in simple old rugged clothes . I used to watch them with pitiful eyes and pensive thoughts looking at their miserable condition and wonder how much money they get from that ,so much hardship and such hardwork ,such long walk on bare feet in winter morning. Then I would think about my condition ,shoe wrecks full of around 20 shoes or even more only mine, most of which I didn't even use ,clothes unlimited , a dozen of sweaters , still often felt I didn't have anything , all these realisation came looking their bare feet , twisted and crooked with hardwork, their legs and hands too revealing their severe , lifelong hardwork and misery.

Often I wanted to talk to them and going near them but just couldn't gather that courage to speak up and I just used to walk silently behind them watching them going far from me . Still it would surprise me how active and happy they seemed . So many other known and unknown people too used to meet on the way . But these suffering and different from normal category of people were always the attention of my mind . To them I always saw with great curiosity.

I have not forgot anything . These memories are always fresh in my heart . I love this habit of morning walk and evening walk cause I get to see people on the way with their silent unique stories ,which silently teaches me great wisdom ,while nature provides its fresh energy and beauty to soothe all the senses . Though I scarcely get it in this humble park of closed boundery . I badly miss that open roads and wide open fields and scenaries .Haaah ! But it's just a memory only ,just a memory now . I can enjoy it only in my memory.

I looked at my phone to know the time .It's almost 9.30 ! I have to return home by now .