Sprawling city forest area near Vasant Kunj and Mehrauli in Delhi
Bored of a monotonous adult life? Wouldn't it be nice to escape the concrete walls of your apartment for once and indulge in a calm and refreshing nature walk? Right in the middle of a chaotic city?
Dillipoetry by Rachit, based out of Delhi offers that and more - poems, activities and a memorable experiment with nature. This weekend they introduced the participants to the hidden gem that is Sanjay Van, considered as Delhi's lungs.
Usually accompanied with a poetic flair - the trek this time was enhanced by the poems of Ruskin Bond, a renowned poet from Uttarakhand. Bond's nostalgic insights and witty elaborations, narrated brilliantly by Rachit, added greatly to the magic of nature.
Sanjay van is one of the most thickly wooded areas of the city. We took a brief tour of the heritage jungle, grateful to the trees for their long standing service. Obviously stumbled upon a few relatively exotic birds, and some familiar friends basking in the winter sun. A few butterflies fluttered by as well.
All this while engaging with each other through well thought out activities. "Be mindful of the movement and the sounds", Rachit advised well in advance, to make the best out of the experience. For a short while, each of the participants forgot all of their worries, of past or of future.
In the end, we created a collective art work out of twigs and leaves, as shown below. Now it may not come across as beautiful as a Mona Lisa, but it is symbolic of a human presence.
What do you make of the art work? Can you decipher a pattern? Isn't is like marking territory? That this many individuals gathered at this one place in this one time to thank the environment by this particular way.
But as Ruskin Bond famously wrote "It isn't time that's passing by, It is you and I." Looking outward, and more importantly inward in a nature walk like this, one comes upon this unique realization - all things must pass. We learned this lesson by destroying our art work as we bid adieu to the hidden gem that is Sanjay Van.