ಮುಂಜಾನೆ ಮಂಜಲ್ಲಿ…
The morning was early but not too cold. Beautiful fog blurred spaces, blanketed those tall trees, roads and lakes, erasing all things without truly removing them..
With no early commuters, the muddy roads and the lined stores lay almost silent, masked behind a grey foggy veil.
Just a few souls here and there.
This morning, we had this village to ourselves.
We passed through fields and met eyes with the scarecrows who stood watching us intently. “Newcomers” they might have thought. A little ahead, small houses, rich in flora. Flowers of all colors, shapes and sizes flaunted their grandeur from of every single house. Now and then, the sun poured it’s brightness on these flowers. It was a special sight.
ಕಾರ್ಮೋಡ ಕವಿದ ಮನಕೆ,
ಹೊಸ ಬೆಳಕು ತಂದು ಸುರಿದೆ.
A little ahead from here, we reached a temple. A very old one, I presume. A Jain temple in a Hindu village is rarely visited. We didn’t find any board that named it or gave any details. It looked wonderfully stranded. But well maintained. Thanks to our archeological dept. The fog added another dimension to this temple.
A few awe-struck glances and we walked back.
The village had started to wake up now. Pleasantries were exchanged with and without words. Early buses had started, awaiting their commuters. Tea stalls, opening up.
Tranquility descended once more.
ನನ್ನೊಮ್ಮೆ ಆವರಿಸು, ಈ ಬೇಗೆ ನೀ ಹರಿಸು
ಮನದಾಳದ.. ಉಲ್ಲಸದೀ..
ಮಲೆನಾಡು ಮೇಲೆ ಮಂಜು!
Truth be told, this was not mainland Coorg. We were in a place called Jagenahalli – A Covid-Free zone. Fearing Corona, we stayed at a friend’s farmhouse. A lovely one I must say. After really long, we found ourselves walking the streets, taking deep mask-less breaths. Five days here, and we had almost forgotten about the Pandemic.
There were lots of places around. Places that had never caught my attention. Take is small waterfall for instance. I am not sure I would have ever visited this wonderful thing if not for the pandemic. It is not the loudest or the tallest. I have seen many spectacular waterfalls till date and this one may not even feature in my top 20. But here, sitting on this rock, during these times, I felt a gentle calm.
Everywhere I looked, I saw Paddy fields, tall trees, huge boulders with streams snaking around them. So many birds. Their birdsongs that we paused to listen to. Many I didn’t recognize.
Everything felt slow. Nothing to rush for. As if this was indeed a great pause.
Have you come across songs where a meaningful pause just felt right? Well, this felt just like that. An inexplicable charm. This great pause.
ನನ್ನೊಮ್ಮೆ ಆವರಿಸು, ಈ ಬೇಗೆ ನೀ ಹರಿಸು
ಮನದಾಳದ.. ಉಲ್ಲಸದೀ..
Passage Migrants 