Being disconnected - literally

You realise you had your head bent for an awfully long time at a 20 degree angle peering into a mobile screen or a larger screen at work when you find yourself in a place disconnected from the world. It hits you hard at first, you run around trying to find the trickle and are almost annoyed at not receiving messages, notification or glossing over people's activities on social media platforms. Like any other addiction (from the little I have known or heard), the irritation hits a peak and subsides all of a sudden when you finally lift your head to see around. You resign to fate and try to find activities that can fill in the massive void that engulfs you.

After living for six days in some pristine territory surrounded by chirping birds, wild animals ambling around and even some frequent burst of rainfall which urged us to soak in the earthy fragrance, we realised we had travelled a little too far from what actually soothes our senses and nerves.

The large swathes of green

Its supremely meditative. Living in an urban concrete jungle makes you oblivious of the value that India's forests and hinterland holds for us. We rode through the dense forest and even went on a cycling expedition. The young lad who escorted us was explaining the intricacies of the jungle, the foliage and was fairly descriptive about jungle lore. It was intriguing yet fascinating to see how everything tied up into a logical thread. You also realise how over the years, the conservation effort and strict controls to maintain the sanctity of the jungle has borne fruit. Lush green surroundings is a privilege that you don't get to enjoy in urban living.

Up, close and personal

For once, we didn't have to resort to Animal Planet to get a dose of watching animals in their natural habitat. We were told about the patterns they followed through the day (and the year too). The sounds that they made had a message and with some bit of patience we could observe how they communicated. There was a sound to mate and another to warn of the perils of a predator around. Two or more different species of animals would move around and there is a pattern with which they helped each other - to find food and ring alarm bells of impending danger.

The tribal habitat

The tribal villages are tiny but the ecosystem they lived in was an eyeopener. They followed the old practices of constructing houses that saved them from the heat during summers, each house had a layout that served to rear livestock and even store wood for lighting fires (cooking purposes). Every three houses were served with a hand pump and there was a community well that had ample water in it. Surprisingly, there was a well built school (tiny one) in every hamlet. A board outside the school had a mention of the mid-day meals and the menu across the week. Children were happy playing outdoors in the evening hours, a sight that you wish you see more often in the urban setup.

The family time

The biggest benefit of being disconnected. We had only each other for company. We looked forward to breakfast, lunch and dinner - had food at a leisurely pace that we had not practised before. Discussions surrounded the food we were eating (we gobble otherwise), some stories that kept the mirth alive and even sitting on a swing or just walking around. It didn't bother us that we missed our daily dose of an episode of a web series or a daily soap or political and economic upheavals. Even the ongoing IPL didn't fascinate us enough to run for a screen.

The road less traveled

Maybe it was the pandemic, maybe it was FOMO (fear of missing out) on the happenings around us or maybe it was just the feeling of indispensability of the digital era. We didn't realise how much we were consciously or subconsciously consumed by one or more devices. Yes, there was a scramble to figure out what we missed when we entered the network zone, there were a truckload of notifications but none that mattered a great deal. The urge to stay connected and receive news / information as and when they happen has possibly bent our neck for a long time. Time to raise our heads and look out for things that may appear simple in nature but an indulgence brings the much needed sanity and calm.

You would have had such experiences too. Did it transform you even a bit? Keen to hear.

Thanks for reading