A

lthough I hiked to

Parsari on the April

Fool’s Day, weather did

not play pranks until

evening. Pleasantly dry

weather neither clouded my lenses nor the

sky, ensuring convenient and comfortable

recording of the mountain spring. The soft

wind quickly dried the mild sweat produced

during intended physical pursuit.

Parsari woke up from the winter slumber.

Snow had almost melted. Frozen ground

softened. Moisture on the ground surface

and in the atmosphere increased. Spring

prepared all possible spaces for a fresh start.

Life started reflowing in well rested veins.

The ground smelled wet and wild. Butterflies,

bees, and birds romanced on flower laden

boughs of old trees. Varied birds gathered

select material for new nests to raise a new

generation.

On my repeated requests, she

accepted ₹100 as a token of my

gratitude for the satiating lunch.

Fat barbets sat on tall trees. Slim minivets

preferred short bushes and trees. Paper thin

butterflies and insects with transparent wings

sucked virgin nectar from fresh flowers. Big

grosbeaks pecked on grassy ground. Brown

laughing thrushes and small tits shared the

bushes. Short-tail flycatchers rested on trees.

Long-tail drongos looked uninteresting for

their uniform dark slaty color. Longer-tail

forktails seldom rushed over fast flowing

brook by the side of the trail; alas, never

posed for the camera. Long...er-tail magpies

wore soft blue dresses. Sparrows carefully

searched for suitable material for the nest.

Whistling thrushes stuck to the top branches

of all sizes of bushes and trees.

Old leafless fruit trees bore fresh flowers of

three stone fruits. The trees stood at the trail

edges and in the courtyards or backyards of

traditional basic homes. A narrow flower-

color-palette displayed two tints of a pair of

hues. Delicate 5-petal pink, pale pink, and

white flowers initiated the fruit formation

cycle. Insects and birds devoured the fresh

nectar from the fruit blossoms.

The boughs of magnificent fruit trees

supported the fewer shoots. The flowers

A Peek at Parsari

Trekking, Hiking...

184

Volume 4, Issue 1 | June 2019