TIME MACHINE

“..........Hey !! I couldn’t see anyone, are you sure that we are not alone ?” asked my impatient friend who was frustrated while driving through the uneven and damaged road of the rainforest. The vehicular movement seemed to have ceased on that particular day, as the upcoming state election campaign had drawn the large public and the nearby villagers to it’s ceremonial site. The old dying trees and shrubs of the rainforest seemed to have regained it’s life, as the green leaves sprouted from their weakening bodies. The musical notes from the forest were at rest and there was a subtle peace in the air, perhaps everyone was in their afternoon nap. “ Is this a road ?, what kind of vehicle would survive after all of these craps..!!!, We did a huge mistake, shouldn't have come so far......” I was simply nodding , as my friend kept expressing his unhappiness over the situation. “I think the government should change after every 3 years, because it’s these elections that force the governing body to perform for the public’s prosperity in return for their valuable vote. '' I expressed my views. “......absolutely right, or else the helpless public will always be fooled........it has became a norm nevertheless the promise of a new government will eventually meet the same '' said my friend. We were having a discussion as we moved through the dense tropical forest. The colorful butterflies were crossing the road. Their swift flow with the breeze of the forest made it harder for us to recognize their vibrant colours. “ Pull the car on the side, let’s have some sip and puffs before we move further ahead, I said. “...........Ah..!!! this is best, finally a little relief ” said my friend.

                                   
                                         “ How far is the location ? will we make it by 2 PM, he asked ”. We had crossed two police checkpoints by then and were gliding through the last village of the district at the border of our neighbouring country. “ We would probably reach by 2:30 PM ”, I replied, “ if we continue at the same speed ”. The sun sets at 6 PM in early summer, so  we had sufficient time to be back at the main highway before it’s too late in the forest. “ There you go, finally” exclaimed my friend. “It was difficult till here but the beauty and place really pays off,  he said, as I was taking off my clothes ready to jump into the cold water from the mountain. We sat on boulders and started discussing the world around us for hours, holding beer in hand and smoking finely grinded weed. We were the two lost souls, meditating in the echoes of nature, far away from the madding crowd, at one of the last frontier of the country.

 

“No matter how much you speak about nature, wildlife, pollution and conservation, your voice will always be unheard amongst our friend and people who might know you” he sighed. “ People don’t realise, unless the situation hit them”, he added. The sun was at horizon, between the mountains, red yellow, orange, gleaming it’s light upon the crystal clear water of the river, submerged underneath, our feets were glowing in it’s rays. “ Pass the smoke”, I said. The evening breeze through my skin gave me a pleasant feeling. I pulled two deep puffs and recalled a quote from my favourite writer “Ruskin Bond”. He says, “.....for every time I see the sky I'm aware of belonging to the universe than to just one corner of the earth.”  I felt the same. “ You know, one literally becomes a joke if  he or she talks about nature , climate or any conservation work”, I said. “ In fact the situation can get even worse in some cases because I don’t think anybody cares or have time to introspect deeply, you know that and what our youths are mostly busy with, and I still remember my own personal incident from last year”, I said. Just then, the herd of cows munching on the fresh grass beside the river approached us. “Hwrr......hwrr...hwrrra.......” the owner shouted from far beyond, on the other side of the river bank. Her daughter was guiding the cows , while she was collecting the ropes. The moaning of cows and the cold weather had alarmed us that it was about to get dark. “Let’s take bath, or else it’ll be too late” he said. We both plunged into the shallow water, cold and fresh, I just felt that it healed everything. “ You know , these sound of water and the crackling of stones is something of a pleasant to hear, how I wish, if I had a home nearby, I would have come here every morning to meditate”, he expressed. “ While that would have been great”, I added while looking up at the clear blue sky and pondering about the mysteries of universe and life. There was silence and no soul around except the musical notes from the river. The surrounding suddenly turned into a melancholy. I stood up and sat on a boulder, gazing upon the setting sun and said, “Do you know Hornbill and their life cycle ? ”. “ Well, not much but I heard people saying that  there were quite a huge number that are seen in this area but it has decreased quite significantly in the last couple of years”, he added.

                                                The female Hornbill sealed herself inside the tree cavity during its incubation period, just leaving a small hole of an inch so that the male can transfer food to her and the newly born offspring. The female sheds off her wings and weight during the process and solely depends upon the male for food. In case, if the male dies for some reason, or because of hunters and poachers, the female along with her offspring starve to death. It is believed that the starving female curse the soul that had killed its mate, which in fact is a very strong curse that no one would likely to have. It is this believes that many of the villagers had given up hunting the bird but still some are adamant about their action that had resulted in the decrease of  bird’s population. “ You see, how we all depend upon one another, in this vast fabric of universe, where one lives for the other and on different sides one suffers because of another's deeds” he said. I was silent, while gazing upon the setting sun. “ Perhaps, I am yet to understand myself”, I murmured  in silence.