The Pine Forest

Sometimes you need to get lost to find yourself. That’s how I felt walking through the pine forest in Kodaikkanal.

It’s a wonder why people don’t recommend it as a tourist attraction. Because it should be. Anyone who’d like to explore the depths of trees without worrying about meeting a bear should visit this forest.

There too many tourists pointing cameras at random angles. Because there wasn’t much novelty in every turn. Nevertheless, it’s a beautiful place for photographs.

When you’re standing there surrounded by perfect imperfection, you can’t help but drop your jaw at nature’s wonder. Yes, they’re just trees. But they are more than that.

The smell of the pines, the barks standing so tall and uniform — it was so inviting. They emit a kind of glow that spreads throughout your body and warms you from within. And trust me, it was chilly, and we needed that.

And if you listen close enough, you’d hear the trees calling out, as if they wanted to you go in deeper and deeper.

And it wasn’t a walk in the park either, the forest lay on top of a mountain and going in deeper would mean walking down the hill. It wasn’t scary though. On the contrary, I enjoyed it.

The roots of pines look like they’re engraved in a canvas of hard brown soil. It’s so beautiful, it feels almost artificial. You can’t help but smile at the sight of it. And you’d do a lot of that in the forest too. The trees are not too dense, and the dim light that seeps through them creates a perfect atmosphere for reminiscing.

Watching the trees, just being, defying gravity, ignoring all the world — yet making it a better place — it’s surprising that no one wants to just stand there and look.