At the outset I was falling. And I was falling from quite high up, falling through the sky. I don't know how it came about or how I got into this situation, but I had no parachute and I was coming down fast. I was in trouble.
Way down below I could see the earth, green and vast. The air tugged and tore at my clothing as it whistled past my body. My stomach was tight from dread as I realized I could never survive the impact that was to come.
I noticed that I was falling into a field, and there was a large tree right in the center of it. I had a sense inside that this tree was my only hope and it became the focus of my attention as I thought, "Maybe I could somehow grab one of its branches as I am falling past." With luck it would be supple enough to break my fall without cracking off. Whether my reasoning made sense or not didn't matter because I was doomed anyways, and the tree was suddenly right there.
Whoosh! The branch gave, but refused to snap, bending down in a graceful arch to within inches of the ground. Unbelievably, not only did the limb break my fall, it absorbed perfectly the momentum of my plunge. At the very last, as my hands let go, I flipped backward in an acrobatic tumble, landing upright on my feet. Astounded? I couldn't believe it.
In my mind I replayed the last segment. What a phenomenal show! I should have had an audience. It should have been captured on film. I replayed it again. I could hardly wait to tell my friends. They'd never believe it. I gave myself another mental screen replay. And another. What a remarkable death-defying performance! I bowed to acknowledge the applause and adulation of imaginary friends. Yes, I was tremendous.
My jubilation was cut short, however, when I became distracted by the sound of a small airplane that had flown directly over me way up in the sky. It almost seemed to hover as it dropped something from its belly. As I watched, a parachute opened like a great white blossom.
A sense of expectancy came upon me. I soon saw that it was a woman dressed in white. It seemed as if she were a bearer of tidings of some sort, and a curiosity seized me. This messenger from the sky, what news would she bring?
She descended slowly, almost unbearably so. I waited and watched as she drifted down to where I stood. She landed upright on her feet not more than ten feet away, her expression serious and grave. I wanted her to speak, to say something. Instead, she shook her head. With severe silence she communicated perfectly: "No."
Her look devastated me. I stood trembling as I watched her turn and walk away.
But I knew what it was about. I understood. My glorying had been stupid and ill-conceived. Like a good clunk on the head, this "sent one" brought me to my sense again. She helped me to appreciate and value a truth that I had too quickly forgotten. It was the TREE that saved my life.
With no where to go from this alien land, I cried for help. I could hear a distant voice, but could see no one. Suddenly somebody grappled my shoulders and with a firm shake, I was awake. I had seen one of the most scariest dreams of my life.
"Life" has always intrigued Biologists. There are so many questions about living beings that are yet to be answered. One of them is "Dreams". Every living being on this planet dreams. Its one of the most common things in this world, yet it is the one of the most mysterious facets of what Nature has to offer. Science has answers to almost everything, but can it answer my questions???
Scientists say that dreams reflect the data picked up by our brain during day-to-day activities. Its true to some extent, but the surprise package comes when one has a dream about somebody whom he has never seen in his life, something that he has never done, something never experienced before......... Also seen are cases when people have actually had an Out-of-body experience during thier sleep.
Running out of time, have to get back to work....I would like to end my post with a question to everybody as to "What are dreams?"
I love visiting untouched, untapped places coz you get to see its true beauty.
One such places that we friends went to was the Chapet dam near Velha village.
Wikimapia
To get to Velha one can take any of the 2 routes:
Pune-Donje-Khanapur-Pabe-Velha = 55 kms approx
Pune-Khed Shivapur-Nasarapur-Velha = 80 kms approx
We started off from Donje village near Sihngad (30 kms from Pune City) and took a left turn from Khanapur village towards Velha. The road was quite a beauty making its way through paddy fields and Teak woods. On the way were some really scenic spots especially the ones on Pabe ghat. A lush green carpet with vivid designs lay on mother earth.
After crossing the Pabe ghat, we reached Pabe village. We took a right turn on the T intersection after Pabe village. Velha, a small village, is on the foothills of Torna fort. Torna fort was one of the biggest forts ruled by the great Maratha warrior, Shivaji Maharaj.
We left for Gunjavani dam after relishing a yummy lunch at "Hotel Swapnil" in Velha.
Gunjavani/Chapet dam is an earthen dam constructed on the waters of Kanandi river and other streamlets from the adjoining hilly terrain. This is a relatively small dam in comparison with Panshet or Varasgaon dams. But unlike the dams on the outskirts of Pune, this place is so quiet and serene. Away from the hustle and bustle, we had been looking out for this kind of place to celebrate the Indpendence day. We had a gala of a time along the bank of the backwaters.
On our way back to Pune we took the Velha-Nasarapur road to reach the Baneshwar (30 kms from Velha). The slippery trail to the Baneshwar Pagoda falls was rather an adventurous one. The dilapidated View Point was really scary but offers you a nice shot of the Pagoda Falls.
We took the Pune-Satara highway to end a day what I would call as a "get-away to tranquility".