Like all other trees in the neighborhood, the big mango tree
standing proud and erect in front of my house too had started shedding its
leaves. The fresh green leaves that had been the epitome of life a few months
back, had gradually started acquiring a yellow hue and finally one by one, they
started to wither and fall off to the hard earth below, under the contemptuous gaze
of the young, green leaves basking in the sunlight.
Well… dead leaves need to be cleared away and just the other
day, I had embarked upon the particular task. A few swishes with the broom and
suddenly it was as though I stumbled upon pure magic! I had inevitably
disturbed a whole cluster of ‘appuppan thadis’ (known as Pappus in English
which is nowhere as romantic as its Malayalam name). They were till then securely lying
under the protective cover of the dry leaves. Thrilled by the first taste of
freedom and spurred by the gentle breeze that was on, these charming winged
seeds which resemble the long, white beard of a grandfather, started their
individual journey towards unfamiliar places…
As I wistfully stood and watched them soar away to invisibility,
somewhere I realized my innate desire to fly free like these winged beauties...
to travel to lands unknown, to places unseen, to mountains and lakes and
forests and valleys… to be one with nature and to drink in its splendor… to
embark on a journey to discover myself…to a place called freedom!
