THE BACKGROUND

I remember being madly in love with climbing trees during my childhood & adolescence days.

Papa's transferable job ensured that we were allotted a government accommodation at different locations that had trees of all hues, shapes, sizes & variety.

Secunderabad it was Tamarind & Guava. Shimla, Deodar & Pine. Jabalpur it was Banyan. Agra, Mango & Mulberry. Bhopal , it was Neem & Teak.

They were my friends. I would share with them my utmost fears.Cry & sob holding on to their trunk in distress & sadness. Hide SECRETS written on paper under their bark & other spaces & protrusions. Brag to them about my achievements. Swing on the branches. Climb up guerrilla ropes tied to them. Eat fruits particularly unripe mangoes, Fresh tamarind & guavas with rock salt & red chilies powder. Play under their shade & sketch with twigs on the mud. Lie on their broad cozy branches & doze off, literally !!!!!!!

I vividly recall preparing for my exams while sitting around them & with them. They were patient listeners while I prepared for my INNUMERABLE elocutions, recitations & debates competitions . I had observed my father talking to the trees & plants. He would revive any sick plant by his care & pep talk. I understood that plants are LIFE. They FEEL & COMMUNICATE.

When we lost Papa to eternal peace, I lost my zeal to climb the trees. . . . 

 Years passed by. And I got engaged into execution of what an ordinary person like me usually does : Earn a livelihood, procure items & means of comfort, entertainment and status. Life progressed ahead. Some years dragged, others simply flew by. I underwent a sea of changes in my perceptions and thoughts as I experienced LIFE & lived through many defining moments. My horizon broadened.

And the yearning to climb trees came back. They say old love never dies . . . . 

SEPTEMBER 11, 2018

Venue : Old Compound, Kendriya Vidyalaya. Bairagarh, Bhopal.

Occasion : 1991 Batch Alumni Meet

So, here we are meeting each other after 27 years ( That's some time !! ) There is a lot of catching up to do. Many of us have studied together for years. Others have been the alumni of this esteemed Alma Mater : KV Bairagarh at varied time frames . We exchange pleasantries. Relive the past memories. I try to fit into the scheme of things as well. . . . . 

And then someone gets my attention. WOW, that's a beautiful TREE.

I look around & find myself  surrounded by the munificence of the nature. Immersed in my thoughts ,moving around broad, magnificent & welcoming trees, touching & feeling them I transcend to my childhood days. The nostalgia is back. Emotions are strong. There is the sudden gush of adrenaline. The TREE beckons.

I ask myself : DO I ??

And the next moment, I am climbing the TREE !!! I squeal with JOY.There is lot of cheering all around.

I am amazed that I can still manage it decently. My friends are amazed too. They don't JUDGE. They LET ME BE. They are happy in my happiness. And now I have just posed for a few pics while being perched on the tree.

THE PRESENT

So, I have multiple learnings from my own experience . . . . . 

You are as young as you FEEL.

Your real happiness is lying within you in dormant stage. RELEASE IT.

BELIEVE in yourself FIRST , the world will ultimately believe in you.

It is never too late to start AGAIN.

Follow your DREAMS.CLIMB THAT TREE, TODAY.