GPS vs NPS

I could so much relate to this weeks Awakin passage. So instead of GPS we have the NPS - Nature / Natural Positioning System. 

We rely on people and wilderness for direction. It gives us an opportunity to connect to shepherds in the middle of the forest or a lone farmer ploughing his field or people from a close by village. We are learning to recognise and learn names of trees. The directions here are like - take a left after you find a banyan tree, walk in the direction of the rising Sun, let the river always be on your right. 

There are times when there are no people for a couple of miles. What do we do then? There are flags. People who have walked before us put up these colourful cloth flags as signboards. We feel so grateful each time we see them in long stretches of forest. We look around for footprints when sometimes there are no signs. Sometimes animal excreta also gives ups hope and we feel we are not lost 😉😅. And sometimes we tune in with the birds and animals and they show us the way. At night the light of the moon helps us find our way. 

Today, me and swara were chatting about how when we ask people in the forest for direction, they tell us to take the highway instead of the forest route. They tell us that we will definately get lost. We were thinking, what is the use of having an iPhone or a GPS or a Masters degree when we cannot understand the basic sounds and signs in nature like - bird calls, footprints, winds and the list goes on. 

We are in Sita van (Valmiki ashram) the place where Sitaji gave birth to his two sons Lav and Kush. Since two days we are walking through a forest. And the forest is going to continue for a few weeks.