Soaring spirits

So, it is not about `this’ city being of a particular kind; almost all fast moving people and cities differ from our simple, innocent people who reside in smaller towns. Especially people from the hills.

The world assumes a different meaning in this place that can best be described as synonymous to purity. A place where peace and love dwell together. A place that promises sincerity, truthfulness. A place that can proudly proclaim its simplicity. Mandi small yet promising, beautiful and indispensable for avid travellers. Unarguably one of the most serene places in Himachal Pradesh, it boasts not only of the beauty of the mountains around or the river Beas, but also of firm faith and lessons in love. Here, it’s the people whose innocence and genuineness take you by surprise, their helpfulness shames you and their love makes you see stars during the daytime. You have to experience it to believe it, just like I recently did.Anna Rani. That’s the girl who changed my idea of love forever.

Living in a beautiful cottage alongside the Beas, this pink-cheeked girl was different from any other, especially her more stylish city-bred friends. She was extremely selfless and loving, harboured the same aspirations and feelings like girls her age, but stood apart in one aspect, attitude. With her simplicity and straight-forwardness, Anna Rani had her priorities clear.

She spoke of her fiance, Akaash, presently working in Sikkim, and said he could not visit her for long. "He is unable to take leave, at least enough to come and visit me, but makes it a point to write regularly. We keep in touch and I pray that he does well," she said, pointing towards a huge photograph adorning her wall, under which was scribbled: "My world, my everything."

I wondered whether they spoke to each other over the phone and so asked her about it. She smiled and replied, "He lost his ability to hear a month after we got engaged." The moment was tough… It froze. I was lost for words, more so when I learned she was a singer and he once a music composer. But she stood by him like a pillar that holds a building straight. Not only that, she left singing forever.

Not because he could no more lend music to her songs or because she had lost interest. Neither because she was deeply hurt nor because he asked her to. The reason, according to her, was simple. "There’s no point singing if he cannot hear my songs. And who says I don’t sing now? I do sing. My heart sings to his tunes, my prayers sing for his well being," she spoke with pride. Pride that could make girls envy her for the faith, trust, confidence and, above all, love that she nurtured within.

Anna Rani is not the only girl in love and neither is Akaash the only person lucky. There could probably be many like her who would have equal faith in their love. But these are just probabilities. Life in cities is fast moving and changeable. Things are here today, gone tomorrow. Nothing is permanent and changes occur faster than you can imagine. And yes, you don’t often bump into someone who considers someone "my world, my everything" and means it.