#48 Rest and Be Thankful

I love two things when it comes to Dindigul. One is the biriyani (obvious) and the other one is their rock fort. Situated on a hilltop, the Dindigul rock fort was built by the Nayakar kings during the early 1600s. The rock fort offers a beautiful panoramic view of the city. I visited the fort recently on my way to Kodaikanal with my wife. I thought the climb would be easy, but it wasn’t.

Along the way, we stopped for a few times to catch our breath. As I walked towards the fort, I came across several stone benches laid along the way for tourists to relax.

As I sat on one of the benches, I saw the words “Rest and Be Thankful” engraved on it. I looked around and I saw the words engraved on all benches. It was different from the usual “Do not spit here” or “Donated by…” engravings that I usually see on tourist spots. I’m not sure who’s idea it was, but the words gave a different perspective to the place. They sounded philosophical.

As we sat on one of the benches that faced the city, I couldn’t help but wonder about the beauty of the city. The words “Rest and Be Thankful” kept echoing in my head. Being there at that moment made me feel thankful for a lot of things. A wonderful partner, a great life, decent health, a sincere group of friends, a car that I love too much, a good job, a nice cloudy day, and a wonderful trip ahead.

Sometimes the words we come across at random places can invoke past memories - happy or painful incidents, foregone love, and sometimes a chain of thoughts that will remind us of all the good things in our life. My hike to Dindigul fort was one such experience.


You'll only receive email when they publish something new.

More from Atomic Essays by KP
All posts