by Rehana Mir
If there was a place other than my chest where I could place my heart, it would be in Wagna Salamabad.
Why would I do that? Well, sometimes you reach a place so heartbreakingly beautiful, that you want to leave your heart behind. Wagna is such a place. Located in the mountains of Baramulla district, it holds a part of my soul somewhere in a corner of the village.
I visited the place back in 2023 for the wedding of a distant relative. As I travelled towards the village, I gazed at the breathtaking scenery outside the window. I gasped when the car reached a point on the road where the fields appeared as steps, one upon another. It felt like I was climbing towards heaven.
The moment I arrived at Salamabad, a fresh breeze soothed me and offered a warm welcome. I felt as if new life had been installed into my body. To reach the house of my relatives, I had to walk through the fields, following a beautiful, crystal-clear stream flowing alongside.
After the long walk, I finally reached my destination. As I entered the house, the scent of mud uplifted me. It was a clay house with tiny rooms, beautifully maintained. A kind, old woman kissed my hand, hugged me and guided me to the room. Settling down, I checked my phone only to realize that there was no network. I had lost connection to the internet and all social media apps- essentially, I got a break from my phone.
The next day, they sent me with a little girl to the stream to freshen up. The moment the stream water touched my face I felt all my worries washing away with each splash.
A single day there felt full of life. I wandered through the village with that little girl and came across ducks-adorable, noisy and unbelievably resilient. Theses have become extinct in urban areas. They basked in the sunlight, tending to their feathers after a long bath in the stream.
By evening, I was sitting in the field, breathing in the fresh air. I saw the mobile towers in the distance which reminded me of the city I live in-full of noise and hustle, where the time flies. But here, time wanted to slow down.
When I left Wagna, I left my soul behind, which I had been united with during the days I spent in that beautiful village.
