Like The Flowing River

 

We embarked on a mini-adventure yesterday, about an hour’s drive from Chandigarh. As a bird enthusiast, I was keen to explore Chakki Mod, a Birder’s Paradise, in the Solan district of Himachal Pradesh. I wanted to hike upstream along the Kaushalya River to explore the area and perhaps, witness some of the unique birds that the area is famous for. Two of my friends tagged along for the excursion.

We drove from Chandigarh towards Zirakpur and then got onto the Chandigarh-Shimla highway. I turned on Google maps shortly after passing Timber Trail, to not miss the Bhojnagar turn. We drove downhill on a fairly empty road and parked the car close to the second bridge. We made our way down to the river bed while listening to the sound of the gentle, flowing water and chirping birds surrounding us. The fog had finally lifted, allowing the winter sunshine to filter through. We crossed the stream while carefully balancing ourselves on rocks.

I could hear the sound of a woodpecker hammering into a tree. I quickly took out my binoculars and spotted the bird, much to my delight. We carried on forward on the dry part of the river bed, observing many other birds around us. My friends relied on my limited knowledge to learn about them. Curious villagers grazing their livestock stared at us, probably wondering what we were doing there. We walked slowly, taking in the valley views. I stopped often to observe the ebb and flow of the river.

We came across deities and other religious items washed ashore.  I wondered about the distance people’s prayers travel. All of us walked in quiet contemplation through shrubs, wide cracks in the dry sand, and sections of sandy beaches at some places. I was very excited to finally see a white-crested laughingthrush, an otherworldly beauty. We reached a large, natural pool with water falling over massive rocks into it. It seemed like the perfect place to take a break. We dipped our feet in the cold water while munching on delicious sandwiches and drinking gin.

Stories, laughter, and Chopin floated through the air. We were in the moment – like the flowing river.