One morning at about 5:30 am in summers, (a Saturday, as other days am fast asleep & would get up only later to go to office), my mom woke me up asking me whether I would accompany her, to her usually brisk morning walks. After a lot of tossing & turning on the bed, I dragged myself out, got dressed & hit the by lanes which led to the Deer Park.
The entrance to this “Morning Paradise” (as my mom called it), was dusty & looked like a burnt-out forest. The dust beneath was covered with scattered dry leaves & small trails created, leading to various tracks within the park. We took the one facing the iron grills with lots of Deers & some Barasingha’s & Pea hens & cocks behind it. As the road bend, we were eventually thrown into what was really a paradise in itself. What I saw was a lake with ducks wading in; all in whites & grays. Right in the centre was a mass of trees, what looked like an island. Spotlights shaped like stone boats had been placed within the lake, which I imagined would illuminate the lake & its surroundings when dark. This was surrounded on one side by an old fort beautifully clad in heavy beige colored stones. The other side unleashed a lush green ensemble filled with people of all age and from all walks of life, jogging, walking, chit-chatting, doing yoga asana. The sun was slowing rising from behind the lake & golden streaks of sunshine reflected in the water. The day break was welcomed by all alike, the chirping birds, the Deers, the rabbits. The mystifying ambience had something about itself; a belongingness. A certain depth to bind to itself and not let go. I was most enchanted by its exuberance.
I had just about started savoring this gift of nature when some shrilling squeaks distracted me. To my dismay, as I looked towards the lake what gathered my attention were a few kids trying to scare away the ducks. What annoyed me more was that neither the officials of the park were around to give instructions to people to stay away from the lake; neither did a passerby care to ask the children to stay off. I had somehow just about managed to ask the children to move away from the lake, when I saw that a batch of people had just left finishing their daily routine of exercises and chit-chats and left behind disposable cups of tea that they had just finished. Just round the corner I found a bin lying which read “Use Me” & seemed unused for ages. I decided to gather all this and get rid of them.
On our way back we followed the same track as we did while entering. Just as we reached the iron grills packed with Deers, round the corner a tilted board read “Please do not feed the animals anything” & right next to it I found people stuffing their (Deer’s) mouth with either breads or leafy vegetables or left outs of the dinners that they had had the previous nights. And the packets left unwanted either outside the grill or inside it. Though I was very put off with the way people were spoiling the atmosphere within the “Morning Pradise”, I somehow gathered myself and caught hold of an official explaining him my experiences one by one. All he replied was Kya karein Madam Ji, Koi suntan hi nahi. Ap apna time kyon barbad karte ho. I realized his helplessness and following all the embarrassment that I had faced, I quickly left the place thinking to myself that this place was chosen by the nearby residents for their early morning walks, not only due to its proximity but the calm & serene ambience that it was bearing and providing its lap as a relief to all who visited. But unfortunately we all were selfish. We took back good health, a fresh green ambience and so many good things from her but in return left this place dirty, polluted and waiting for ages, for the its visitors to realize how important it was to keep the surroundings clean so that they could experience the freshness every morning. My experience which had started with a new & fresh experience ended in dismay.
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