Manifest your dream

                                                      

A few years back, on an official trip to Kolkata, I made it a point to catch up on my dear friend, with whom I shared a rather unique relationship. We were hostel mates and class mates in medical school, almost four decades ago,  but more than that, for some unexplained reason,  she took me literally under her wings to actually take care of me like a guardian angel,during my hostel years. I had more than one such friend, but Anu was special. Those years in Medical College were tough, challenging and fun filled, but they truly made us what we are today. As an example,  we would need to study actual human skeletons and bones, and each one would have our own sets of bones. They were our most prized possessions  and we would keep them carefully under our beds, choosing one bone at a time to study and know its various parts with their tongue twister names. So whether it was the “lateral epicondyle of the humerus” or the “olecranon process of the ulna”, there was no short cuts, and memorizing humungous textbooks like Gray’s Anatomy, was the norm.  Often I would fall asleep while studying a skull or a femur, and my dear friend would gently put the bone away and tuck me to sleep after making me have my dinner, which I would often miss eating in the dining hall.

Eventually, Anu and I settled in two different cities practicing our professions with full commitment while balancing our family lives. Though we kept meeting each other time and again through the years, we dreamt that we should do a trip to the Hills together. We tried to chalk out several plans, but something or the other prevented it from happening. And then came Covid, and all our dreams were just put on hold. But we kept talking of it, as though it were going to happen any day. I strongly believe in the power of manifesting what we want, as I have seen this happen with me over the last few years. If we can visualize with clarity what we want to happen, then the Universe is bound to join the dots to answer that dream, provided we remain consistent in our perseverence to manifest it. It almost seems like magic, to be the Creator of your Creation. Things don’t just happen accidentally, but because we want to make it happen that way. This needs a continuous conscious action. But if our actions are performed unconsciously, it all seems accidental or by chance. The moment we take charge and live life in full conscious awareness, we can find ourselves to be steering the ship of our life in the direction that we want it to go. In other words, we are the bandmaster of our destiny.

And then one fine day,  I was invited by the West Bengal Health University to go to Siliguri as an External Examiner for the Final MBBS examination. This was the Universe’s way of throwing the opportunity at me. It was up to me whether I was prepared to take it. The timing was perfect.  Covid was at its low in West Bengal and there weren’t too many restrictions. Moreover, we wanted to be away from the usual crowded destinations. Anu decided to fly down on the last day of my Examination, so that she would pick me up from my Guest House,  and we would actually begin manifesting that dream. It was a delightful reunion for both of us. Starting our trip with some exotic “Momos and Kadak Chai” by the River Teesta, every moment of the drive to Kalimpong was exhilarating. Every breath we took, was a breath of gratitude. Our vision was so clear while we were planning this trip, that it was like living an experience twice, all over again.

As we inhaled the fresh mountain air through the whistling pine trees and approached Kalimpong, we reached our destination which was a Guest House on a hill top. We were taken back in time as Gregory House was more than just a Guest House. The rich legacy and history of the place was palpable, and the hospitality was unparalleled.  It was going to be a full moon night the next day, (Dol Purnima), and we gazed at the clear night sky in awe and silence. The gentle breeze and the faint bark of a dog somewhere in the distance, was all that one could hear. The peace and tranquility was indeed a pristine gift for us.

Next morning as we woke with the crack of dawn and went for a walk up the hill, it was a tryst with nature. We were greeted by a bunch of local dogs who were more than eager to sniff at the new visitors in their territory and show us the way. Wild flowers, the chirping of birds and the soft morning sun peeping from behind the hills, it was a slice of paradise.

After breakfast we took a trip to Lava Village and Rishop Hill top through a maze of Pine forests. Life stood still. It was like we had pressed the pause button. The dark , deep woods whistled and whispered sweet nothings.

On our way back, we made a brief halt at Dr. Graham’s Home and his famous school. The Kathleen Memorial Church, within the campus was closed for visitors as it was under repair, but was a marvellous piece of colonial Gothic architecture.

Apart from the Hanuman temple, Durga Mandir, the mysterious Morgan House and the monestry, the highlight of the day was spending some precious time at Delo Park, the highest point in Kalimpong. Azelias of all possible colours, poppies, daisies and hollyhocks danced in the spring season. Paragliders could be seen gliding gently over the valley. It was just one of those perfectly beautiful days.

Kalimpong is a horticultural delight. A visit to the Pine View Cactus Nursery with its most amazing and exotic collection left us totally awestruck. It was one man’s dream and vision to collect diverse species of cacti from all over the world, from as far as North and South America and preserve them under one roof. Mr. Mohan Pradhan has left a legacy with his family for the world to see. It was finally back to Gregory House to observe one magical full moon night in the silent hills of Kalimpong.

The next day, was devoted for a trip to Darjeeling. The drive through the gentle hills and winding roads, with rododendrums in full bloom was far more amazing than the destination itself. We stopped over at a magnificent scenic village called Lammahatta , a popular ecotourism spot with its fascinating tall pine forests and blooming wild flowers and orchids. One could just sit here for hours and find solace in the moment.

Furthur on,  we crossed the toy train near Ghoom, a piece of well preserved history of the Darjeeling Himalayan Railways. The Ghoom Monastery was also thankfully open to visitors, and although I had been here earlier, this visit felt like a part of a new journey altogether . The stillness, the solitude, the divine fragrance of sandal and rose incense sticks and the chanting all added to a profound experience . Darjeeling will always have its own quaint charm and we made sure to spend a delightful meal at Glenery’s while enjoying the afternoon sun and an enthralling panoramic view.

Although it was short and sweet, this weekend getaway with Anu has left its everlasting imprints in our memories. The sheer joy of exploring the simplest of things amidst nature, giggling over bygone memories, sharing our perceptions of life and some moments of deep spiritual conversations,  amidst a perfect ambience, all added up to a complete holistic getaway which was much needed for both of us, as we have juggled our ways through the myriad of challenges amidst the Covid pandemic. The window of opportunity that we got, whilst the pandemic has been waxing and waning was nothing short of a well orchestrated plan by the Universe which was joining our dots to manifest our dream.  Just as we recollected our old memories of the years gone by, and created new ones, it only endorses that life is a continuous dance, about what we wish to create and store in the hard disc of our memory bank. What is most important is to live each moment full on. How we wish to paint the canvas of our lives and the colours that we desire to choose, is entirely in our hands. Divinity is omnipresent and works through us. All we need to do is visualize the completed painting first, and then start filling the canvas, in order to manifest our dream.