The Mountain

_{By Tejas Thakare}

I see a mountain from very far, very far away. I do not know what that mountain is. I have been seeing it since my childhood. I have witnessed its phases, clear in summer, blurred in fog, invisible in rain. I have heard its stories from many: its description, its difficulty, its almost unattainable nature. People only describe it.

I want to go to that mountain, but it is very far. I have heard from people that there is no fixed or defined route that guarantees I will reach it if I follow it. Yet I am already on that journey, with wet eyes, silent lips, and a loud heart carrying only one resolve: I must attain that mountain in any condition.

I have been walking, walking along uncertain paths. I have been lost, I have fallen, I have settled at times with smaller mountains along the way. But the sight of that mountain is still there. I can still see it. It makes me walk.

I do not know the proper way to it, but I am trying different paths. Some bring me closer; some take me farther again.

Sometimes I lose sight of the mountain. Sometimes when I see it, it feels even farther than before. There is no one to guide me. I am on my own journey.

I do not know how, but I will find the proper way to that mountain. All I can do is walk ,walk faithfully, believe in myself and in God, and keep moving as long as I do not lose that desire. As long as I am moving, I am already moving toward it.

Yes, there is no defined pathway. I am finding it on my own. And I will find it, because I have to reach that mountain, no matter what.