Man vs. Nature

We looked up. It was achievable. The plan had gone awry. But we had done it millions of time. A small detour could not make us turn back. In any expedition, it’s the team that matters and I knew I was pulling down my partner.

It all started with the Fort. Standing up tall in the morning sunlight, it looked inviting. It reminded me of Rajputana. The Khetri Fort was once a second home. It was my SummerPalacewhere I used to take refuge in the cold but sunny winter afternoons.

The body had rusted with almost a year of misuse. It creaked with every step but then jungle trails were always easy. The unfortunate part was that the sense of tracking had died down in the concrete jungle. There was a point of time when I was one with Nature. I could sniff my way out like a wolf in the wilderness, a well nourished wolf hunting for prey.

This time, the route turned tricky. Somewhere, we lost the plot and missed the turn. Time was running out. The ascent was not even attempted.

And then it started - The climb to the top. The entire body started aching, safe till now in its sedentary lifestyle. But they always said, the mind is the centre of pain. You control the mind, you control pain. What they didn’t tell was that controlling the mind was a bloody tough thing to do.

We stopped, panting for breath. The summit was still far away. It was shameful. My first failed attempt to complete a trail. There were two options – to rest and go on or to turn back. But to rest would be to accept defeat anyway. The idea was to reach without a break.

We turned back. Defeated, dejected men bowed before Nature.

She was laughing.