Call of the Confluence

Where the two rivers meet, colours are found -

Not just blue and green of swirling sound

Or white with which, the peaks are bound.

But all the colours we cannot see –

Hope of the rafts that float away free

Joy of the rivers to meet the sea

Rise of the smoke from that house on the hill

The crispy air and the hearts that fill

 

Above all -

The colour of the wind, the rain and the song

With which I hear my name from far along

The colour of that call that fails to die

To the passing time and the space that sigh

The colour of the confluence that stays unchanged

Far from  the heart, but not estranged…

 

24^th January, 2023

 

Anyone who has seen the green of the Teesta and Rangeet rivers in Sikkim and North Bengal will agree wholeheartedly that the colours of the mountain duo are unlike any other – teal and turquoise for Teesta, an emeraldine green for Rangeet. Each river sparkles on its own - imagine then their confluence of dark and light greens that seems so unreal and ethereal that will enthral every traveller. Add to this the depth of the foothill ravines, the snows of the Himalaya far behind and the photo will remain indelible – almost as if it is ever alive, calling you wherever you are, to come back and dive into the depth of their deluges, where the rivers meet, where the confluence calls…  

Cover photo - Author's archives