#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.