Stumbling upon silence...

Last Monday, the bandh (general strike) that was enforced nationwide was a great blessing in disguise for me (let me make it clear that I am against any bandh). Thanks to the bandh, I enjoyed some peaceful moments that had such rejuvenating impact on me!

Have you ever wondered, when was the last time you actually listened to the birds chirping in your garden? Counted number of species of birds that you spotted or observed lovely colors on the butterfly wings? When was the last time, when you were really aware of your breath? I know, it is very difficult to find even some fleeting moments of enraptured silence amidst the hustle and bustle of our urban life!

Rapidly increasing noise is one of the most disturbing elements of our modern life. Right from early mornings to late nights, we are constantly bombarded with jarring sounds with nudging high pitched vibrations, coming from different directions; be it traffic, construction sites, screeching sound of the flights every five minutes in the sky, loud speakers or noisy market places. We are constantly exposed to the unhealthy levels of decibels that cause us stress and other health issues.

Every day, I literally struggle to find some music amidst the cacophonous torture, just like that kid from the Hollywood movie "August Rush", who has great ability to find solace in his music even amidst the most jarring sounds! Albeit, I am yet to succeed completely but the search continues. On last Monday, when the "bandh" was declared, it turned out to be one of the most magnificent days of inner renewal for me!

I woke up very early as usual and embraced the morning languidly. As the morning slowly progressed, there was no sign of the usual maddening hurry. Roads were absolutely empty, there were no drivers in my building blowing the horns, the construction site across the road was quiet, no doorbells rung either at my home or at neighbor's and suddenly I felt as if the world was still! I headed to the favorite part of my building- the garden. As I walked down to the garden, I noticed all the four buildings in my society looked completely deserted! There was not a single soul around! Balconies, garden and the track meant for the jogs were all empty. I experienced peace beyond words and possible imagination!

I took my shoes off and started walking on lawn at the podium garden. The soft, cool touch of grass on the bare feet was soothing! The sun rays glistened on the dew drops on the leaves. I lied down on the grassbed and watched the sky paint lovely abstracts from its vast palette. After the rain of previous day, the garden looked fresh and the sight of butterflies chasing each other added splash of stunning colors to the already beautiful surrounding! I listened to Nature's sounds around me in pure, undisturbed form, cherishing each single moment of that experience.

When I returned home, I was oozing with some powerful energy that one derives only from being close to Nature. Luckily, I didn't have to drive to some country side or  trek to some woods or fields or dive into river to attain that. I spent the entire day with such serene calm! My daily meditation session was one of the finest in so many years thanks to absence of cacophony. I could think much clearly, got in touch with my inner self more easily and had a glimpse of myself with crystal clear perspective! That day, I listened to many natural sounds and observed many things around me that I otherwise miss out despite them being very much part of my surrounding!

Silence, as I experienced was presence of all that was natural in its purest form, undisturbed by all mechanical, electrical or human made noises. The flood of emotions I felt while experiencing it is beyond realm of words! I could feel how Nature's true worship is in listening to it and deep down I have transformed at some level for sure! To be honest, I almost could feel some zen moments during that day. I yearn for more such extra ordinary moments of silence but I must practice to experience that even amidst all the chaos. Only then, it would be really achieving silence in its true sense, isn't it?