Enthralling Trails

 “If you really want to eat, keep climbing. The fruits are on the top of the tree. Stretch your hands and keep stretching them. Success is at the top, keep going.”   ―   Israelmore Ayivor Badarika was a chubby little girl who resembled the Jujube fruit in the garden.  She was the healthy and well nourished daughter of Baltishn and Balamani. Balamani was ind eed a jewel in Bali tshn’s life as she was soft spoken, poised, organised and able. She loved her role of a homemaker in Baltishn’s life which was carried out with utmost sincerity. The couple belonged to Odisha, but had moved to Dornala in Andhra Pradesh in search of a job. Luckily Baltishn landed a job in this remote village which was near Srisailam, a tourist spot. Once when the young couple had gone to Srisailam, Balamani had the opportunity of eating the Jujube fruit. She stored the seeds carefully in her saree and planted it at Dornala. She was blessed with a baby girl that year and Balamani n...

“Listen to the trees as they sway in the wind . Their leaves are telling secrets. Their bark sings songs of olden days as it grows around the trunks. And their roots give names to all things . Their language has been lost . But not the gestures.”   ―   Vera Nazarian Raju looked at the leaves deeply. The leaves had shrivelled, yet the distinct halves were visible. Sita had shoved the wrinkled leaves in his hands in the customary manner, saying that it was gold, ‘ Sonaacha pata ’. Normally, the gold is returned back to the person wishing prosperity, but Sita had thrust a leaf in Raju’s hand  as  a souvenir.  This was  a bullion for little Raju as the Aapti tree at the boundary wall was more than his friend. He had seen the tree for the first time at Anshul’s house. It was close to the compound wall near the entrance gateway. The tree was a huge one with many leaves and thorns and tiny, delicate pink and white flowers.  The branches bent down...