When the Aurora Borealis Obstructed My View to the Himalayas

The rainy season had just begun. A huge pour down had washed off the whole city of its pollution and the aerosols that released from the raindrops into the air gave a fresh earthy smell to it. To make the most of the moment, I took a chair in the balcony with a cup of tea in my other hand.

I laid my legs on the stool and gently started sipping my tea, enjoying the scenic view of the Himalayan mountains. The wind was cold and gentle just after any rain shower and to none of my notice, I was able to lose myself to the view and its beauty.

The Sun had come out from the veil of clouds and in the gentle 4 pm evening, was creating a glistening effect on the mountains. The terrain was shining quite differently from the other days. The clouds that the mountains were wearing looked a little more arranged or what to say, symmetrical to the eyes. And there I was completely enchanted, engrossed, and unaware of my being, looking into the amazing view(although I was sipping my tea in-between).

And then, out of nowhere the monkey initiated its errands. My subconscious mind, in that totally engrossed state showed me an image of Aurora Borealis of the Arctic regions. The observation of reality shifted to observation of the imaginary. I forgot what was outside and in a momentary dreamlike state was in my imagination looking at an Aurora.

A moment later, as it always happens with the mind and its thoughts, I came back to where I was, gazing at the hilly region surrounding my city. I was adamant to complete my tea along with enjoying the view of the hillside. But I found, the mountains looked dull and not so elegant as they looked a few moments before.

I realized in my experience that Beauty of anything can get lost in comparison. Comparison can kill comprehension and awareness of what is already there in front of us. And what happened to the tea? I finished it along with some rusk biscuits and yes, I still enjoyed all those minutes with “Main, Meri Chai aur Pahad”( Me, my tea and the mountains).