I’ve done this before, but I’ll do it again. Hi, I’m mad, in case we haven’t met!
The Rules: The challenge is – “Post a photo each day for five consecutive days and attach a story to the photo. It can be fiction or non-fiction, a poem or a short paragraph and each day nominate another blogger for the challenge”. Thanks to Mon for nominating me, I said I’d give it a try and here I am!
Well since very few, if any, have bothered to take up the challenges I’ve sent their way, I’ve decided to forgo nominations this time. My Vulcan side tells me I’m either too bad at matching challenges and people (and yes, I put in effort at that) or people don’t really care. I’m not going to say I’m throwing it open for anyone wishing to take the challenge up either.
In the middle of nowhere, along a hilly road, on top of an outcrop of rock, was this little shrine. The nearest village must have been a couple of kilometers away at least.
I climbed the winding way to the top, to see the red flags, symbol of the feminine divine fluttering in the breeze. Though I was only a little bit above road level, the wind, untrammeled by trees, was stronger, cooler, almost fresher.
This was what lay inside the little alcove. A piece of rock. It might have been a stone idol once, but if it had been then years of worship had effaced all that the sculptor might have etched onto its surface. And yet, here in the middle of nowhere, someone came daily to worship and light incense and say a prayer, perform a little “aarti”. The smell of the joss stick still lingered, I must have missed the devotee by half an hour, maybe less. I wish I could have taken a better shot from further back, but that would have involved me standing in mid-air and sadly, I’m not Wile E Coyote.
I’m not a theist and I don’t believe faith can move mountains, but this I do believe, faith can move man. For better or worse, but it can. And this crude shrine is a symbol of that.
hbhatnagar 
Faith can move mountain- I even wrote a poetry about the mountain man. 🙂
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Posted by Kritika Vashist | 28/06/2015, 10:23 PMमानव बल के आगे निर्बल भाग्य, पढ़ा विद्यालय में
भाग्य प्रबल, मानव निर्बल का पढ़ाती मधुशाला।
Bachchan Sr.
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Posted by hbhatnagar | 28/06/2015, 10:52 PMHmm. Waise. Theek ha.
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Posted by Kritika Vashist | 28/06/2015, 11:32 PMLooks quite a peaceful place (around shrine). Faith can indeed move mountains, try it sometime 🙂
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Posted by Alok Singhal | 28/06/2015, 8:04 PMIt’s on the road, nothing around for quite a bit. As for faith, I was talking in the strict religious sense, and I am an atheist. 🙂
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Posted by hbhatnagar | 28/06/2015, 8:08 PMBut it is a lovely place. Especially when you just happen to come across it. 🙂
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Posted by hbhatnagar | 28/06/2015, 8:09 PMSo glad you are doing it again, Dr. Hb! 🙂
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Posted by Amy | 28/06/2015, 6:53 PMThank you. Like I said, I’m crazy-mad for challenges. 😀
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Posted by hbhatnagar | 28/06/2015, 7:27 PMI loved this post. 🙂
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Posted by Victo Dolore | 28/06/2015, 6:37 PMThank you! 🙂
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Posted by hbhatnagar | 28/06/2015, 6:41 PMThank you for sharing the lovely photos. I hope you’re having a good evening. x
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Posted by Sabiscuit | 28/06/2015, 6:29 PM21 minutes to hooch town and then it’s bound to improve! I’m glad you liked them. 🙂
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Posted by hbhatnagar | 28/06/2015, 6:40 PMI just enjoy hooch, thank you so much for sharing that. x
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Posted by Sabiscuit | 28/06/2015, 6:41 PMGreat to see you’re doing this challenge again and awesome pics 🙂 and yes faith can move men, if not mountains 😉
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Posted by Darshith Badiyani | 28/06/2015, 6:19 PMThanks. I’m glad you liked it. 🙂
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Posted by hbhatnagar | 28/06/2015, 6:28 PM