Mussoorie awakens from frosty slumber, crowned by a sunrise goblet spilling gold, to a day woven from mountain majesty in Dr Amrinder’s poem, exclusively for Different Truths.

The morning wind, the bone-biting chill
The receding darkness, the dawning light.
A gossamer mist, rising from clefts
Modestly veiled, mountain breasts.
From behind the peaks, the rising sun,
Fringes the spikes, with gilded streaks.
At sunrise, the golden goblet perches.
Precariously, on a mountaintop to tilt,
And spill myriad rays of fine-spun gold.
As it gives birth to another amazing,
A warm and glorious, hilly winter day.
A forest walks on winding paths amidst
Gigantic firs, oaks, and Himalayan cedars
Whips up an enormous appetite, that,
We appease with an enormous breakfast
Of omelettes and steaming cups of coffee.
Higher ascends the celestial globe to sit,
On its golden throne, in clear blue skies
And spread the benevolence of its warmth.
We peered down into the valley to watch.
Vehicles ply like dinky toys on ribbons
Of snaking grey roads that cling
Precariously to rugged mountainsides.
Away from the bustle of the Mall,
Down, the path less trodden, we tread
Along the length of Camel Back’s Road,
Everywhere, as far as the eyes can see,
Range upon range of mountain ranges,
Encircle Mussoorie, the Queen of Hills.
Their ridges and clefts rise and fall like
The crests and troughs of ocean waves,
Undulations remained in time and space.
Some brown and barren, some capped with snow
On many slopes, evergreens grow.
Their might, their height, their girth, their span,
Spell, substance, strength, eternity, and infinity.
That put our puny pains, needs and greed
In their right perspective.
At sunset, the fiery orb mellows and cools.
And spreads its benevolence across the sky
With exuberant splashes of delightful hues.
Before slipping behind a peaked skyline,
Leaves behind, an exceptional parting gift,
A ‘winter line’ stretched across the horizon
A luminance thread sews the edges of
Sky and earth together in heavenly bliss,
As they kiss and blush, it becomes pink.
Passions ignite and flare, crimsoning the line
While dusk lowers its curtains, to
Ensure privacy for their nuptial delights.
However, our winter day in
Mussoorie is not over yet.
As pearly dusk bathes the mountains
Fleetingly, with an ethereal light and
Gives way to a crisp, star-studded night,
We huddled around a crackling bonfire.
While numb fingers cup hot ginger tea,
We munch on sweet and juicy corncobs
Roasted on red coals and watching the lights,
Of the Doon Valley below, twinkle and shine
Like a night sky turned upside down before,
We finally end this enchanting, kaleidoscopic day
To snuggle in cocoons of quilts in heated rooms.

Photo by the poet

Dr. Amrinder Kaur Bajaj

Dr Amrinder Kaur Bajaj is a senior gynaecologist, an award-winning author, columnist, and poetess. She also writes editorials for newspapers like The Times of India, Tribune and India Express. At present, she is attached to FMRI (Fortis Memorial Research Institute) Gurgaon. She also teaches Minimally Access Surgery to national and international postgraduate doctors at The Medicity Gurgaon.