Face to face with Nature at EME

Today as I was coming back after attending my last Engineering Materials class of the day, I couldn't help noting the scene the sky presented along the horizon. The sun was already setting and a cool breeze was blowing. I don't know why, but such a scene always takes me away from the material world and my mind gets lost in a pensive mood. At that moment I wanted to capture every detail of what I saw, but instantly felt handicapped for I didn't even have a phone camera. I felt really depressed and out of desperation thought of those people who couldn't even had the gift of eyes to admire this. At least I can do that! With this feeling prevailing in my mind, I kept walking towards the hostels, admiring the atmosphere, the clouds, the sky and everything I could see as far as my sight would let me. But then an idea struck my mind with such a force that I felt as if I had all the power I needed to capture the beauty of this scene. My pen.

Now, as I write this, I am sitting outside my hostel, Iqbal, on a cemented slab, facing the setting sun hiding behind layers and layers of clouds. As my pen moves on the paper, a constant chirping sound of a cricket can be heard, sitting somewhere nearby, probably watching me sitting alone in the cold. The birds, as they fly towards their destinations, are singing songs of a perfect day as if they too are admiring what feast the end of this day has arranged for them.

As the cold autumn wind fondles my face and my hair rustles with it, the song sung by strong winds blowing in the valleys can be heard, enriching the scene further. Since my childhood, three things that fascinate me the most are white clouds, the mountains and the night sky. And miraculously, this scene has all three of these.

During windy days, clouds instead of making huge, gigantic shapes on the sky, create small mesmerizing patches, that are spread on the whole sky, making shapes like long threads, water ripples and round patches. This sky was a mixture of all these beautiful artistic shapes. All clouds seemed to move separately, but in unison, towards an unknown destination, but at the same time giving the message of returning back, sometime may be.

The mountains of Murree, although far away, and only faintly visible, enriched the scene to such a richness that they glorified the entire horizon. Mountains have this magical ability of filling the beauty of nature with their enormous size, without even spoiling the beauty of other entities that enhance it. Besides, their existence marks the fact that no matter how strong you become, something still exists that is stronger and mightier than you. That's why I like them.

Now as the sun has almost disappeared behind the edge of the scene, the sky is still bright, with a star or two, faintly visible, but bright enough to claim their separate existence, as if the bright sky never wants to leave this place and be the reason of the fall of this scenery.

The rays of the setting sun, as they rip through the clouds, are creating such beautiful shades of red, purple, blue and so many colours that even the greatest of artists that have ever existed or will exist can't name all of them and can't help admiring the artistic beauty of these immaterial rays.

Although the blowing wind is striking each and every thing coming in its path, but the trees and the plants are just dancing slowly and silently in harmony, as if they don't want to spoil the steadiness of this scene either.

But now as the sun has completely disappeared behind the materialistic world, the cool breeze is now transformed into cold, biting wind, freezing my fingers to immobility. I can now, once again hear the sound of the world, far away but close enough. As if the falling night is giving the clue of a dark, cold night of desperation. But on the back side of what I face, is a sky that is already dark and starry, giving the message:

After brightness, comes the dark,
but be hopeful, on your part

For life is not what we face,
but what we admire, slowing down our pace