It
was a difficult decision to make. To travel or not to travel, when the fog was
blinding and visibility nil. Even before venturing out on the road it was amply
clear that the fog today had descended
on the city lock, stock and barrel. This I could easily deduce, as no matter
how much I strained my eyes through the partially translucent window of my
room, my faithful green friends in the park behind had been rendered invisible today.
I could only feel their presence by the sound of their rustling leaves in the
chilly wind which had arrived in the city the preceding night, armed with heavy
bag and baggage. Intermittently it rained, not due to any visible clouds but
due to the fog dripping from the trees and other objects that stood out in the
open, braving the chill in public, cursing their luck in private.
But
when it comes to call of duty, such decisions are a trifle easier to make. As one
has a ready excuse to fall back upon if things go wrong along the way. With a
hundred thoughts flitting through my mind, I was on the road. The driver on his
part had presented an emphatic assurance that he had no problem driving in such
conditions, as he had seen many such winters in his long driving career. As an
extra precaution though, I occupied the front seat as a voluntary navigator for
him. The journey began with a minor hitch, the heating system of the vehicle had
a minor glitch. Luckily it was resolved, it had to be, for it was absolutely
essential, not to warm the occupants of the vehicle, who were armed with layers
and layers of woollens, but to keep the rear glass frost free. The lights
dutifully switched on, we were on our way. I had to continuosly strain my eyes
to discover that a road existed beyond the bonnet of the vehicle on which the
vehicle would keep glued to no matter how deep and wide the potholes were. Occasionally
I looked left and right to see if there were trees which could indicate the
width and curvature of the road as it twists and turns around the fields and
dances over the many canals that dot the terrain. That we were moving was palpable
only when another vehicle came across from the opposite direction. Numerous groups
of children waiting on the roadside for their school conveyance caught my
attention and I had all my sympathies for the little soldiers.. Following faithfully
behind the vehicle just ahead helped us cover small distances but unfortunately
most of them ditched us barely after we had travelled a few kilometres together.
We lost our way a couple of times as the driver very thoughtfully took to the
village roads and avoided the dicey main road which is a challenge to negotiate
even in the best of weather. Two hours passed by and surprisingly I was not at
all bored, busy as I had been navigating, and I was at my destination.
Going
inside the wetland on a boat was an easy decision after the difficult journey
just undertaken successfully. The fog ensured that the limited waters of the
wetland resembled a sea with no distinction between the horizon and the surrounding
waters visible. It was literally water, water everywhere as far as our eyes
could see. The vast expanse of water, the bone chilling cold and almost zero visibility
made me put on the life jacket as I took to the boat. In the hindsight, I feel
that wearing the jacket was more of a psychological security, for God forbid
had the boat capsized, the freezing waters below would have frozen all the life
forms that once occupied the boat! Icy winds blew across my face and I shivered
despite being covered in layers of woollens from head to toe. My teeth
chattered constantly and I had to make a lot of effort even to utter a few
words to the staff. The sound of the engine overpowered the call of the birds. Small
flocks waded across, calling noisily, perhaps cursing the cold which had
followed them from their native places. A bunch of glossy ibises flew in front
of the boat only to rest on the bare branches of the shrubs behind. The egrets
and the herons hid their heads and rested as the boat passed in front of them. In
between I had to feel my cheeks with my hand to make sure that they existed,
numbed they had been by the cold. The patrolling continued for more than an
hour till I decided that discretion was always the better part of valour…Now the
fog was even clouding my vision as it was settling on my glasses. Should we return,
I asked. The answer was an instant chorus of yes! And the boat immediately started
its way towards the nose…the area which acts as the jetty! Though the speed was
slow, as the engine was in danger of running out of the fuel. Getting off the
boat was a real respite and I looked for fire and ran towards the area where
the staff has a tiny hearth where they make tea and warm themselves. It was
cold and I had an equally cold glare for the people around me. They could have
been a little thoughtful I thought. They hurried and somehow located a few
ambers on which a few twigs were quickly laid. A matchstick was also discovered
within the conveyor belt of the hyacinth removing machine. In their eagerness
to find a piece of paper to light those twigs, moist due to the fog, they came
with an empty carton of a ………..bottle of alcohol. For a second, I was taken
aback, but then at this moment silence was golden. The fire was burning and I
settled on the chair, pulled underneath that machine, and warmed my frozen
hands. I was quite puzzled though, as the other occupants of the staff had
disappeared from my sight into the little room when they could have easily
joined me by the fire. The blue empty carton came back to my mind……..but I
nudged it away, as the leaping flames of the little fire warmed both my hands
and my heart!!!
