Daily Times

My family and I left for Murree in June. To tell the truth, I was not the least bit excited because I had the same image of Murree in my mind – boring, dirty and crowded. However, I was met with a pleasant surprise as I reached there.

The place was beautiful with a thick forest all around.

There was a small hut made of wood. It had a garage and a winding/steep road leading towards the hut.

Thrilled to the core, I couldn’t hold back the feeling of adventure! With a euphoric sensation I plunged deep into the exotic and unfamiliar! A delightful venture indeed and a must experience for all Pakistanis!

The beauty of the place put me in a state of trance. It was hypnotic. Unguarded by the problems of the city, the purity and serenity of the northern areas was relaxing. The fresh air from the pines and the fruit trees, the green fields and vast meadows, the monkeys jumping up and down and a lot more surprises awaited us!

As we jumped into the beds after a tiring journey a cup of fresh cardamom tea awaited us! Refreshed after taking a small rest we started hiking! Hours passed by but as we explored the jungle, yet we did not feel the slightest bit hungry or tired. The wilderness, the natural habitat, the friendly locals, the small villages came as relief from the hustle bustle of city life.

As we breathed in the cool air, the tranquility absorbed our souls and minds. Just like a hermit feels at peace living at the top of a mountain surrounded by nature, in the same manner the human body feels at par with the soul. The harmony between mind and body, heart & soul, nature & civilization, sings like a beautiful melody talking of a balance between both worlds-that visible & the invisible!

Just like Paulo Coelho in his book Brida talks of the Tradition of the Sun and Tradition of the Moon. Similarly, in the Harry Potter Series the same theory holds true. There is the path of darkness and dementors headed by the Dark Lord Voldemort and the path to bravery and honesty headed by Professor Dumble Dore.

Yoga a common practice amongst, the people of the mountains is a natural way to rid of the stress caused by urbanisation. The building of unnecessary infrastructure, which means providing access to the untouched areas of the north ruins the magnificence and grandeur of the region.

Tourism should be promoted but without ruining the scenic beauty of the area. Discovering the culture of the place from the type of dress they wear to how they greet the foreigners to the eating etiquettes and the race/creed & religion they follow still does not satisfy the human curiosity because man is a social animal whose thirst for progress never ends!

Visiting Mall Road, taking a picture in front of the GPO, exploring books, buying shawls and eating naan pakoras was a treat to the senses.

The beauty of the place put me in a state of trance. It was hypnotic. Unguarded by the problems of the city, the purity and serenity of the northern areas was relaxing. The fresh air from the pines and the fruit trees, the green fields and vast meadows, the monkeys jumping up and down and a lot more surprises awaited us!

As we trekked up and down we bought cotton candy and drank Pakola and Shezan. The two drinks that were not available in the big cities!

I wore a hat and with a stick in one hand to shade myself from the sun. When the cold wind began to blow, I opened my umbrella and wore a garland made of daisies. As I trekked uphill the nursery rhyme,

“I hear thunder\I hear thunder,

Hark don’t you/Hark don’t you

Pitter patter raindrops/Pitter patter raindrops

I am wet/So are you!”

began to play in my mind.

And with a jolt I lost control and twirled in the rain throwing my umbrella in the air and getting all wet!

It was as if it went in the song, “Freed from desire, mind and senses purified.”

The freedom/independence I felt was unmatchable.

There could’ve nothing better than the freedom/independence I felt now.

The liberty to trek alone, the feeling of security rather than fear, the clean air and the spirit of adventure just like it is shown on channels such as National Geographic and Discovery was a feeling that could not be described. Words fall short! The experience cannot be explained accurately. It was just a memorable and treasured experience that one could not but only relive in the heart and soul.

As I headed back home the nostalgia the place gave me began to overpower my senses.

I did not want to go back. But little did I know I could not stay on for there is wrought to do and most importantly one cannot live but in their own house.

But surprisingly the weather in Lahore was also great! And as we came back from the cold of the northern area, so we entered our city with the same weather. We met with rain and a delightful weather that helped not to miss the fun we had in Murree too much!

The old image of Murree has been renewed like it was in the colonial period. The snowfall, the British architecture, the scarce population, the springs of cold water coming from the mountains, the memories of having chai at a dhabha near Chattar Park, the ride in the chairlift, the horse riding, wheel carts, balloon bursting and everything as one can ever imagine like in a fairytale! Everything seemed surreal as if out of a book. It was like a magical castle where everything was picture perfect and nothing ever went wrong. I just wanted to freeze in time but just like the snow melts too bringing with it warmth and coolness soon it is necessary to open the eyes and come back to reality even if it was with a blink of an eye or a pinch of a finger!

The writer can be reached at beenishmhmd@gmail.com