Arjun- The Pony

(This is a short story based on a Pony named Arjun who lives in the beautiful green valley of Gulmarg, Kashmir. Arjun selflessly serve his masters in helping the tourists see the mesmerizing town)

It was a pleasant morning with a great start to our day, as we plan to see the beautiful hills of Gulmarg and the Gondola rides. A lot of the Pony masters arrived outside the hotel to engage tourists for their business. I was very eager and energised to climb up the hills all by myself because I love adventure, however, when I heard about the ponies, ooh!! wow! I was super excited to take a ride on a pony. This was going to be my second ride on a pony after my visit to Kashmir. Nevertheless, I felt extra vivacious and high spirited as if I was still in my daydreams.

After a long conversation of about 20 minutes with the pony master of how and where would the pony carry us upon the mountain areas, we were all set to loft ourselves on the ponies. My brother was super happy as he was all in his teens and he too loves adventure. And then when I was getting up on the pony, I touched it and felt goosebumps. I felt as if the pony want to speak to me or as if he is in pain. But we humans do not clearly understand these speechless animals, we just mind our own business, just like how we took the pony rides to see the entire Gulmarg Hills similarly the pony masters use the poor pony for their daily livelihood.

So when I got up on the pony, I felt very conscious and wanted to get down. I did not want to put all my weight on that poor muted young animal. I felt my heart would cry out, but as slowly and steadily the pony master helped me to climb up on the pony, I admitted its a general rule for these animals so that even they could survive to help their masters in their job.

I asked the pony master, 'What do you call this pony? Does it have any name?'

The pony master replied, 'Yes, we call him Arjun. And the one standing near Arjun is his best friend Rocky. They are the best of friends.'

I was pleased to hear about Arjun- The Pony. I gently touched him around its neck, moving my fingers on its smooth and shiny hair. He has got fiercely big ears, his eyes speak a lot of things and they are so innocent and indigent. He has brown hair all over its body, and the tail is super long with luscious appearance. His neck is vibrantly featured to raise or bow down for eating grasses even when he is on duty (carrying people on its back).

There we start our journey and I am with Arjun. I was riding on his back for the entire journey from climbing up the rocks and hills, to accelerating up and downwards, apart from the time when I had to get down to click some pictures of the magically green Kashmir Valley. All throughout my ride with Arjun, I happened to call him 'Arjun- The Bahubali', because he was able to carry a burden of a human being for nearly 3 hours, to and fro, up and down the jolting mountain.

He would hop on the small and big stones, gallop on the valleys, swaying on the rocks and flowing water. He would always wag his tail as well as start to shake up his hips and dance to the tune of the music. His master said, 'Arjun loves music, even if he hears a music from a distance, he would just enjoy it.' At once while descending the mountain, his forelegs were dragged into the muddy pothole, and I was just about to bounce off him, however, his master caught hold of me and said, 'Don't worry Arjun will get up on his own.' And yes I was astonished to find how Arjun managed to get up and trot again without any grudge or making me fall down.

These ponies would eat only grasses. Everywhere along the journey they kept grazing grasses in the lush green fields to fill their tiring hungry stomach. They would quench their thirst from the melting glaciers, the water flowing from the mountain down the rocks.

I introduced Arjun to my best friend who was riding on another pony named Tony, 'Meet Arjun, who is a 5-year-old little pony. He has been given this name by his masters. He has many friends and his best friend name is Rocky, who is somewhere a year older to Arjun. He is very attached to his bestie and both would walk together, even for a chance Rocky goes farther from Arjun, he would run to catch Rocky without looking or worrying for what's coming on his way.'

I kept asking Arjun's master, 'What if he gets hurt? What if he feels pain while carrying me?'

But his master would reply with a smile, 'Nothing is gonna happen to him, it is his duty and that is why he is habituated with all this'.

However, I still pitied Arjun whenever I looked into his eyes as if his eyes gathered a thousand words which he wants to utter, even though he cannot speak to me, as if he wants to play with someone just like a kid.

I thank Arjun for showing such beautiful places from Gulmarg. It was such an amazing experience to behold within my memory when I recall my visit to Gulmarg and the mountain climbing with Arjun, Rocky, and others. This journey will be in my heart throughout my life. I was happy to take a ride with Arjun and watch the beautiful scenarios of the whole town. Arjun is not fully a grown horse, he is still a young pony, and when he grows up I wish to visit Gulmarg again and take a ride with him.

Above all these beautiful places, something that grabbed my attention, about which I was concerned to some extent was that the human disturbances that take a toll on these poor animals. This beautiful valley looks so colourful. Isn't it?? How these modest animals are grazing, unknown by the upcoming threatening results.

There on one side of this ravishing picture is the true story of the whole Earth today and not Arjun alone. We human say that "what will happen if I do alone, whereas millions of others are just spoiling/wasting" We can't change it alone, but one by one can do it.
This amazing landscape view of Gulmarg, Kashmir (India) where in the midst of all things, the blue sky and green land, those innocent animals are highly affected by human negligence.

Those speechless animals have a message for all of us:

• Reduce usage of plastic bottles and bags.
• Dispose plastic wastes at the right place.
• Let us live unaffected, because 'We are for you and You are for Us'
• Stop being negligent and harm Mother Nature.

A small story dedicated to Arjun- The Pony and other natural things with a moral to carry forward:

'WE ARE FOR YOU AND YOU ARE FOR US'

Author: Paromita Pramanick

Find some more Life Stories on this blog:
The Young Girl's Story
A Girls' Life: Before and After Marriage

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