Stairway to Heaven
A small write-up on an Epiphany in the mountains
The ghastly rapid, untamed yet clear and sparkling river, flowing beneath the Cafe perched on a hilltop, somehow soothed her nerves. She’d been worrying with all possible 'what ifs’, chaotic thoughts running a marathon in her mind. The sound of the water crashing against the rocks slowly brought in a sense of tranquility as she slipped in the comfortable soft chair.
The Cafe’s exterior portion was facing towards the beautiful Valley. The enormity of the huge snow capped mountains, glistening like gold in the bright sunlight, had always enthralled her since childhood. She tried to scan the entire range.. each peak becoming lighter and lighter, eventually disappearing amidst the clouds and into the infinite..
It had snowed the day before and you could see the patches of fresh snow which hadn’t melted, amidst the brown vastness.. like vanilla ice cream on a towering chocolate brownie.
The thought of brownie squirmed her insides with hunger. She looked at her husband who was still engrossed in the mind boggling and beautiful sight.
‘Let’s order, please,’ she said, bringing him back to the present.
The huge uphill walk from The Hidimba Devi Temple to The Manu Temple, the highest point in Old Manali (India) and back to this Cafe had digested the parathas they had, had for breakfast... it seemed like an eternity ago. They quickly scanned the menu and ordered some fried chicken skillet and two glasses of wine.
It was a fine, breezy afternoon with the sun just enough to keep you warm.
‘You don't get such afternoons back home’, she thought with a sigh.
She had fallen in love with the old part of the town, which was entirely perched on a single winding road on a mountain; there wasn’t much crowd, which suited them perfectly; the timing being off season.
The food arrived and they devoured their chicken, hungrily.
With tummies now full, they relaxed with their glasses of wine .. absorbing the picturesque scene, in a comfortable silence with each other. Wine in the mountains ...
‘Heavenly’, she thought.
The leaves of an overhead tree were softly rustling in the breeze ..the drooping branches adding to the beauty of the quaint, dainty Bohemian styled wooden cafe. With hardly anyone around, except for a foreign couple towards the end, it was quiet and serene, the only noise being the clutter of their forks. She felt as if she was just melting away in the nature, feeling one with the Universe.
On the left side corner, there were carved steps leading upwards to a platform converted into a porch, dorned with more couches and lounge chairs. The walls were covered in exquisite art, adding more charm to the appealing, cozy corner.
What caught her attention that on every step, there was a line painted from the famous song "Stairway to Heaven" by Led Zeppelin.
"And as we wind down the road,
Our shadows taller than our souls,
There walks a Lady we all know,
Who shines white light and wants to show,
How everything still, turns to gold,
And if you listen very hard, the tune to you will come at last..
When all is one and one is all ,
To be a rock and not to roll."
The lyrics resonated strongly with every cell in her body and also with the mountains, rendering equanimity and stability in the uncertain winds.
The solid rocks imperturbable, even as the strong waters crashed against it..
Shouldn't she be able to calm her jumping and chaotic mind, and embrace the absolute uncertainty of life?!
Didn't the true beauty of the flowing river, lie in its journey along the rough terrains, rather than where it meets the mighty ocean?!
With this Epiphany, she gave the widest of smiles to her husband, who had been trying to calm her nerves two days before, catching him by surprise. He smiled back and sunk into his chair, feeling even more drowsy and as lazy as the aura of the Cafe "The lazy dog".
-Dr. Saloni Joshi Aney
