Mountains of Hope

#Travelogue
#Himalayas

When you reach New Jalpaiguri by train, on a clear day sometimes you can see the majestic Mt. Kanchenjunga at the distant horizon as a shimmery white glimmer. This is a magnificent view. Those of us who have witnessed it can vouch, I am sure.

You have a suppressed excitement when you board the train from Sealdah, trying to burst out into a joyful accolade and cheer.

The previous weeks were very hectic and tiring. I scraped through the days with the glimmer of hope and light of my upcoming holidays.

I was attracted to the Himalayas as a moth is to a flame from my early childhood.  I remember the visits to Pauri and the garhwal hills. I felt that I belonged there. A sense of comfort and excitement bestowed on me. It felt as natural as a fish feels in water. I have visited many places but I never got this sense of belonging anywhere else.

The Himalayas always stand tall and proud. If you look up to them, it's like beckoning you to come and hug them. When you see the mountains sparkling against the background of clear blue sky, it gives you hope. Hope is the only thing that drives, us humans forward. Every human being lives because of hope. Without hope mankind is devoid of humanity. The great mountains are a symbol of hope. When you look at them, you get a glimmer of hope no matter how hopeless the situation you are in. Unwavering, unrelenting through ages, standing proud and tall, they symbolize strength and provides the comfort a mothers hug provides her child. It always happens in the presence of these mesmerizing mountains. There is no other explanation, you can just feel that inside yourself. Modernization & progress, as we know it is quietly eroding away the majestic mountains and the hopes for our future. Its time we take our stand for the mighty mountains. They have stood for us through the ages, supporting and protecting us.

The day finally arrived. We went to the station and boarded the train. I went to sleep that night, with the most comforting and restful feeling, I had in many days. I was finally returning home, to the mountains of hope!