Kung Fu Panda comes from the Panda village.
He-man lived in Eternia.
Smurfs had their own Smurf village.
Aladdin became the king of Agrabah.
Harry Potter went to the magic world of wizards.
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Officer Judy was the bunny cop in the world of animals.
If we look into fairy tales, cartoons, and many works of fiction, all the stories have an enchanting village or a country that is home to unique characters with distinct personalities. Like those stories, I unveiled an exceptional hamlet in the depths of the Himalayas. Sankri, the famous base village of Himalayan treks in Uttarakhand, has a secret, the Phulara Ridge trek. A feeling of freshness, curiosity, and excitement took turns occupying my heart and head. I couldn't wait to explore this trail. I quickly got ready, met my trek leader Sanjay and fellow trek mates, and went on a journey to explore the untouched - to unlock the secrets of the Phulara Ridge trek.
The trails of the Phulara Ridge trek take you through some mystical forests, lush green meadows, an old alpine lake, a colossal ridge stretching out at the height of 3,700M, and a walk through an ancient village. Secrets are always followed by surprises and shocks. The Phulara Ridge surprised us with its stunning beauty every second of every day. The shock came at the end of the trek- like how you feel on a Sunday evening before Monday. You want more. The five days of bliss on the Phulara Ridge trek will stay with me forever. My most favorite experience of the trek was walking and spending time in the forest. I discovered a whole new world of leaves. And in this article, I am going to take you through a green fairy tale and introduce you to the lives of leaves in Phulara.
1) The short flight of falling leaves
Plants and trees are rooted - down to earth by nature. But the leaves on them have a different perspective on life. They love to fly high with the winds. Once you enter the forest, pick a boulder or a pot to sit and notice the grand jungle aviation show. Most of the leaves hold on to their branches. But a few are always ready, waiting for the gust of air to take off. As the wind blows, the leaves' light feather-like body takes off gracefully and glides in the air. They swirl, circle, bend and perform aerial stunts to make their fellow leaves happy. We can hear the claps of ruffle from the other leaves around them. Imagine a proper air service here. Tiny ants and worms might take a short flight to reach their desired destination. There may be a regular shuttle service for crowded routes. Let's take a scene from Tom Cruise's ‘Top Gun’ (movie). Two fighter jet pilots put on a show with their fancy aircraft. The middle-aged leaves here are calm. But when a wave of heavy wind appears, they let go and fly through the cracks and gaps of the trees and land gracefully on land. The setting inside the forests of Phulara was engrossing, to say the least.
2) The journey of a floating leaf
Be prepared to meet the swimmers of Phulara. They know how to chill in life, and they are totally different from the flyers. Some are young, and some are old, but they are few in number. These are the philosophers who live a carefree life. I believe they realized their purpose in life. All they do is float and go with the flow of water. Without moving a muscle, they go wherever the stream takes them. I believe that this is what spirituality and enlightenment are all about. It is a beautiful journey of realization. We just have to accept ourselves and flow with the stream of life. These masters taught me patience and calmed my nerves. Remember Balu, the Bear from Jungle Book. A big brown bear floats on water and sings about the bare necessities of life. That's a high of joy and happiness. I just wanted to turn myself into a bear or a leaf and have some fun. In the near future, if I meet these swimming saints again drifting on the small silky streams of Phulara, I will pick one, dry it up and use it as a bookmark. I hope it won't mind.
3) The different forms of distinct leaves
When I stepped into the denser section of the forest of Phulara, I got a new perspective. I saw the leaves in two different ways. First, I checked the ones hanging out in a group, and then I checked those who stayed aloof. Every leaf had a unique form and appearance. The aged ones had the wrinkles of experience and pale-yellow shades of wisdom. The young ones had a darker shade of green, symbolizing their raw energy in the wilderness. There were a few flexible ones with big bends and arcs in their body. And at the end, there were these solo ones who had a totally different form and color compared to others. I believe the solo ones must be the exotic foreigners in the leaf gang. In their leafy lifestyle, everyone played an important role. Together they formed the tree and the entire forest. Overall, I felt like I was the massive giant in the small land of leaf people. I would love to create a new story like Gulliver's Travels again with leaves.
4) The language of the leaves
With the help of science and research, we have deciphered the behavior of plants like the touch-me-not and picture. The touch-me-not has a shy nature, and the picture plant has a daunting personality. Maybe their reaction to an external stimulant is their way of communication. Here, in the depths of the forest, the leaves must have a complex communication system with each other. It could be like the nervous system shown in the movie Avatar or could be like the moving vines from Evil Dead. I think all of them are interconnected with each other like a hive’s mind. When I try hard to understand them, several questions come to my head.
If the leaves had a voice, what kind of sound would they make?
Will there be different kinds of dialects?
Will there be songs and poems?
Will there be a mother tongue and mother language?
What do they joke about?
I think I can answer the last question. They might be joking about us - humans. In the world of leaves, we are just aliens. I believe that they murmur, whisper, and pass comments about the giants in weird clothes, us. Or they probably mock our ancestors for wearing them as clothes.
5) My personal connect
What makes us human beings?
Each one of us is different in nature and appearance. No one can look the same. But our beliefs, dreams, and the hope to survive are the common elements that connect us and make us human. Just like us, even the leaves are living beings. Though they are different in form, color, and texture, they are the same under a single roof called nature. We both live in a beautiful support system that helps each other grow. We both have unique qualities and roles to play in the world. We both are rooted to the ground and to Mother Nature. So, together let's save the greens and each other.
I miss my leaf buddies from Phulara. They gave me ideas and showed me a new world within a world. That's it for now. If you are curious to know more about the lives of leaves in Phulara, come here and visit.
