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It happened in my late teens in my village Godagama, which can be described as a hamlet made of islets separated by vast swathes of paddy fields. Unfortunately, the paddy fields have since largely disappeared due to the Nilwala flood protection scheme but that is another story. It was the time when during functions like weddings or even political meetings, music produced by 78 rpm wax discs turning on a ‘gramophone’, connected to an amplifier was broadcast on large cone-shaped loudspeakers mounted on tall coconut trees. In the islet named “Eduwa”, which meant the distant islet, we were attending the wedding of a relative of ours. The house on the top of a hillock was beautifully decorated and was brimming with friends and relatives brightly dressed for the occasion. I was waiting with my younger brother Ranjan, a few feet down from the main entrance awaiting the arrival of the bridegroom. The motorcade, raising clouds of dust on the gravel road was, greeted with a volley of firecrackers and music broadcast over the loudspeakers. Suddenly, both of us realized from the introductory music that it was the wrong tune!

Edged on by me, my brother ran inside and lifted the cartridge off the record player before Mohideen Baig could sing the words, “Oba kenda yama sandaha maruwa ei soya“. Greeting the bridegroom and party with “Death is coming to take you away”! We still laugh, reminiscing of how we avoided a disaster that day but have no idea how many realised what happened. Playing the wrong tune, not metaphorically speaking but in actual sense too, happens very often. Perhaps, it is due to not understanding the lyrics or disregarding the lyrics altogether as the music seems appropriate.

This sort of thing happening in a remote village in Sri Lanka in the late sixties is perhaps understandable and excusable but what could one say if it happens in this modern age in one of the most developed countries in the world! In fact, my flashback was the result of what happened at the Conservative Party Conference in Birmingham on 05 October. Maybe human failings transgress time and place!

Liz Truss became Prime Minister of the United Kingdom on 06 September and was received by Queen Elizabeth in Balmoral castle in Scotland instead of Buckingham Palace, where she received her previous 14 PMs. It was her last official act; two days later the Queen died. Her Majesty, who was renowned for her good sense of humour would have had a hearty laugh at what is happening today, had she been alive!

In spite of turbulent times, U-turns on her mini-budget proposals and open-divisions in the Cabinet, the crowning moment for Truss would have been her address to the party faithful gathered for their annual conference. She decided to walk up to the podium to the music of M People’s 1993 hit, “Moving On Up”, maybe, in an attempt to demonstrate that she is the second ‘Iron Lady’, who is moving up overcoming all obstacles. However, according to BBC news, the use of Moving On Up as introductory music for the Prime Minister has left its creators “livid” and frustrated.

Perhaps, those who suggested this to the PM were unaware that M People were a left-leaning Manchester band. Worse still, they seem to have completely disregarded the lyrics. In fact, The M People’s founder Mike Pickering had said he hoped Ms Truss took note of the lyrics, as it was “about, ‘go and pack your bags and get out'”!

As I was not sure of the lyrics, I checked on the Internet, which she or her advisors too could have easily done. The song starts with

“You’ve done me wrong; your time is up

You took a sip from the devil’s cup

You broke my heart, there’s no way back

Move right out of here, baby, go on pack your bags”

Then goes on to say “Just who do you think you are? Stop actin’ like some kind of star”

I can only add, “Who said politicians are not fun?”

Talking of songs played inappropriately, it is very likely that the veteran Welsh singer, Sir Tom Jones tops the charts with his two classics: “Green, Green Grass of Home” and “Delilah”. His beautiful renditions of these two have made them cheerful party songs but both are very dark in their meaning.

‘Green, Green Grass of Home’ opens with the dream:

“The old hometown looks the same

As I step down from the train

And there to meet me is my mama and papa

Down the road I look and there runs Mary

Hair of gold and lips like cherries

It’s good to touch the green, green grass of home”

But ends with the reality:

“Then I awake and look around me

At four grey walls that surround me

And I realize, yes, I was only dreaming

For there’s a guard and there’s a sad, old padre

On and on, we’ll walk at daybreak

Again, I’ll touch the green, green grass of home”

Following his execution for the murder of Mary, this is what he wants:

“Yes, they’ll all come to see me

In the shade of that old oak tree

‘Neath the green, green grass of home”

‘Delilah’ tells the story of a man who passes his girlfriend’s window and sees her inside making love to another man. He waits outside all night and when he confronts her in the morning, only to have her laugh in his face. He stabs her to death, and then waits for the police to come and arrest him. It ends with:

“She stood there laughing I felt the knife in my hand and she laughed no more

So, before they come to break down the door

Forgive me, Delilah, I just couldn’t take anymore

Forgive me, Delilah, I just couldn’t take anymore”

What is illustrated is that even the confessions of killers can be made into beautiful songs by clever lyricists and accomplished singers but what I cannot comprehend is how some couples choose these songs for their first dance!

Even if you excuse the average Joe for his ignorance, surely politicians should know better. They have secretaries and advisors in plenty paid for by the public purse and they should do their bit to prevent their masters being portrayed as jokers!

We shall soon see whether it is ‘Move on up’ or ‘Pack your bags and go’ for Liz Truss!

Irrepressible Julia Margaret Cameron at peace in Bogawantalawa

Liz Truss’s political ‘journey’ reaches Downing Street

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Moscow is not blaming the latest Ukrainian attack on careless Russian smokers, as it previously tried to do with suspicious explosions on airbases in Russian-occupied Crimea and on a Russian warship in the Black Sea. The blast that brought down the Kerch Bridge., connecting Russia and Crimea was far too big and well placed for that.

It was “a masterpiece of clandestine sabotage,” a former senior British army explosives expert told the BBC. “With structural demolition, you always plan a ‘collapse mechanism’ which lets the weight of the structure do the majority of the work.” Not one but two sections of the road bridge ended up in the water.

But planning the explosion on the road bridge so precisely that it also set alight a train of oil tankers on the adjacent rail bridge and closed that, too, is almost miraculous. Exact timing and coded radio signals may suffice to explain it, but one cannot exclude the possibility of a suicide element in the attack.

This unexpected Ukrainian success will strengthen the fear in Moscow and the growing conviction in Kyiv that Ukraine is on an unstoppable roll. The wholesale collapse of the Russian army now seems quite possible to both parties.

This belief may or may not be correct, and on the Russian side it will inevitably evoke more loose talk about resorting to ‘tactical’ nuclear weapons. Behind the bluster, however, most of the people who matter in Russia will be considering their options if Vladimir Putin loses power. The real focus of the crisis is moving to Moscow.

Putin still refuses to accept that his war in Ukraine is lost. His ‘partial’ mobilisation of somewhere between 300,000 and a million reservists (the exact number is the one secret clause in the mobilisation decree) may be his last throw of the dice, but it shows his personal belief that the war could somehow still end in a Russian military victory.

However, most other powerful players in the political elite, the so-called ‘siloviki’ (literally ‘people of force’), have already concluded that a Russian military victory in Ukraine is highly unlikely and getting more so by the day. The best evidence for that is the recent behaviour of two of Putin’s strongest supporters, Ramzan Kadyrov and Yevgeny Prigozhin.

Kadyrov, the Chechen strongman, put his private army at Putin’s disposal early in the war. Most of his troops are now in eastern Ukraine, still in their own units. But Kadyrov says that no Chechens will obey the new military call-up, and his units in Ukraine (which are much closer to Moscow than to Chechnya) have largely withdrawn from the fighting.

Prigozhin is now recruiting volunteers from Russian prisons for his ‘Wagner’ mercenary army. They will no doubt serve as cannon fodder in the ‘meat-grinder’ war in Ukraine: he needs to keep the cash flow up. But his more experienced and reliable troops have also largely stopped fighting, as if he were saving them for something more important.

This doesn’t mean that there is going to be a civil war in Russia, or even a coup that overthrows Putin. However, all the interest groups (including the armed forces) that have orbited around Putin for the past 20 years have realised that change may be coming to Moscow. They are adjusting their positions to profit from the change, or at least ride it out.

It doesn’t even mean that Putin is doomed. If he could abandon his weird historical obsessions and recognise that the war in Ukraine has become unwinnable, he might still be able to repair the complex web of favours and unspoken threats that has kept him in power for so long.

It does mean, however, that the focus of the political struggle for Russia’s future has moved from Ukraine (which never made any sense) to Moscow. What matters from now on is not who controls Kherson but who controls the Kremlin.

Everybody knows that in politics, perception is reality. Fewer understand that in modern ‘wars of choice’ like the Russian invasion of Ukraine, where none of Russia’s vital national interests are at stake, perception also trumps reality.

In reality, Russia still has some cards to play – or at least would have if political support for the enterprise could be sustained. Russians still outnumber Ukrainians more than three-to-one, and their GDP is eight times bigger. God is always on the side of the bigger battalions.

What makes the war ‘unwinnable’ in Russian eyes (and most other peoples’ as well) is the perception created by a series of spectacular Ukrainian victories. That is what drives the growing power struggle in Moscow, and reduces Russian interest in Ukraine to a level where an outcome satisfactory for Ukraine is now imaginable.

Some years ago, my sister, BIL, and I drove to the Dimbula area, visiting Anglican churches and graveyards looking for evidence of our ancestors. At the quaint St. Mary’s church, Bogawantalawa, we found the grave of my grand uncle, Frank Wyndham Becher Braine, who died on March 9, 1879, at only 11 months. We may have been the first family members to visit his grave in more than a 100 years.

That graveyard is also the resting place of a husband and wife, Charles Hay and Julia Margaret Cameron. Julia, during and after her lifetime, has been described as “indefatigable”, “a centripetal force”, “a bully”, “queenly”, “a one-woman empire”, “infernal”, “hot to handle”, “omnipresent”, “a tigress”. She was “impatient and restive”, for whom “a single lifetime wasn’t enough”. Who was this remarkable Victorian?

Julia was born in Calcutta, in 1815, one of seven daughters of James Pattle of the Indian Civil Service. They belonged to the Anglo-Indian upper class, and were all sent to France – their mother Adeline Marie was of the French aristocracy – for their education. The sisters were well accomplished and known for their “charm, wit, and beauty”, and “unconventional behaviour and dress”: they conversed among themselves in Hindustani, even in England. They served curry. They all married well, four spouses being fellow Anglo-Indians in the civil service and military.

Julia lived at various times in England, France, back in India, South Africa, in India again, on the Isle of Wight, and finally in Ceylon. Travel to Cape Town in 1835 was for her health, after recovering from serious illnesses. Charles Hay Cameron, a distinguished legal scholar from Calcutta, was also in Cape Town, perhaps after a severe bout of malaria. They met, and married back in Calcutta in 1838. Charles was 20 years her senior. Together, they raised 11 children, five of their own and the rest adopted.

Julia’s introduction to London’s artistic and cultural milieu came in 1845, at her sister Sara Prinsep’s residence in Kensington. Sara conducted a salon at home where poets, artists, writers and philosophers such as Tennyson, Rossetti, the Brownings, Longfellow, Trollope, Darwin, Thackeray, Henry Taylor, du Maurier and Leighton were regular attendees. Julia’s “hero worship” of these luminaries began at that time.

In 1860, the Camerons moved to the Isle of Wight, to a home named “Dimbola”, obviously after Dimbula in Ceylon, where Charles Cameron had invested in vast coffee and rubber plantations. He had served on the Colebrooke-Cameron Commission (appointed in 1833) to assess the administration of Ceylon and make recommendations for administrative, financial, economic, and judicial reform. The poet Henry Taylor, a close friend of Julia, wrote that Charles had “a passionate love for the island [and] he never ceased to yearn after the island as his place of abode”.

Incidentally, an English planter, named Herbert Brett, known to my family, named his British home “Yakvilla”. He had once been the manager of Yakwila Estate, near Pannala in the NWP.

“Dimbola” had been purchased because it was next door to Tennyson’s home, and a private gate connected the two properties. Better known as Alfred Lord Tennyson, he had become Britain’s Poet Laureate by then. Julia and the poet addressed each other by their first names. When he refused to be vaccinated against smallpox, Julia supposedly went to his home and yelled at him: “You’re a coward, Alfred, a coward!”

Soon, the Cameron and Tennyson families began entertaining well-known visitors to the Poet Laureate with music, poetry readings, and amateur plays, creating an artistic ambience similar to that seen earlier at Sara Princep’s home in Kensington. in keeping with Julia’s personality, the activities could be indefatigable. “Mrs. Cameron seemed to be omnipresent—organising happy things, summoning one person and another, ordering all the day and long into the night, for of an evening came impromptu plays and waltzes in the wooden ballroom, and young partners dancing under the stars”, wrote Anne Thackeray, the novelist’s daughter. Even Julia’s generosity could be overwhelming. Henry Taylor expressed this best: “she keeps showering upon us her ‘barbaric pearls and gold,’—India shawls, turquoise bracelets, inlaid portfolios, ivory elephants”.

A turning point in Julia’s life came in 1863, when she was already 48. Charles was in Ceylon, and Julia was bored. A daughter gifted her a camera to keep her “amused”. A clumsy affair in those early days of photography, it consisted of two wooden boxes, bound in brass, one of which slid inside the other, with a single focus lens. The timber tripod was unwieldy. Images were recorded on a heavy, rectangular glass plate measuring 11 x 9 inches.

Julia took to photography with her usual energy and enthusiasm, converting a chicken coop to a studio. If the camera was clumsy, the process of photo development was even more complicated and challenging, with the use of chemicals – collodion, silver nitrate, potassium cyanide, gold chloride (even egg white was used) – and the need to work quickly. Julia’s hands and clothes are said to have become black and brown with the chemicals. The process was riven with trial and error.

Julia managed to coerce illustrious visitors to Tennyson’s home to pose for her. They included Longfellow, Trollope, Darwin, John Herschel, Robert Browning, the painter George Watts, Thackeray, Carlyle, and Lewis Carrol, and Tennyson, of course. Her photograph of Tennyson is shown on this page. The men were photographed in pensive moods, intended to capture their “genius”. She also photographed women for their beauty, and children as “innocent, kind, and noble”, a prevailing Victorian notion.

Posing for a portrait was no easy task: the subject had to be within eight feet of the camera, and had to remain still for around 10 minutes. Julia chose not to use head supports. Here is a vivid description of a photographic session with Julia: “The studio, I remember, was very untidy and very uncomfortable. Mrs. Cameron put a crown on my head and posed me as the heroic queen. … The exposure began. A minute went over and I felt as if I must scream, another minute and the sensation was as if my eyes were coming out of my head … a fifth—but here I utterly broke down …” No wonder Tennyson called Julia’s sitters “victims”.

Showing sound business acumen, Julia copyrighted, published, exhibited and marketed her work. Harper’s Weekly, writing on a London exhibition in 1870, noted that “many art critics to go into raptures over [Julia’s] work as something beyond the range of ordinary photographic achievement”.

For the sake of brevity, I have focused on her portraits. She also photographed individuals and groups of people depicting allegories, religion, and literature; illustrations for Tennyson’s Idylls of the King being especially noteworthy. In Ceylon, her subjects were mainly ordinary people and plantation workers. Her career wasn’t long – only 12 years – and despite criticism of her work for technical imperfections and the numerous challenges she faced, Julia produced about 900 photographs. An incredible feat.

From the early 1840s, Charles had bought up sprawling extents of land at Ceylon at bargain prices, and the 1850s and 60s were the best years for coffee. But in addition to being absentee landlords, the Camerons faced other problems: extremes of weather, a shortage of labour, transporting the coffee to Colombo on poor roads, incompetent managers, and the devastating coffee blight.

Charles was in poor health – “receiving visitors in his bedroom or walking about the garden reciting Homer and Virgil” – and had not worked since 1848, and the expenses of supporting a large family and their lifestyle at “Dimbola” had forced the Camerons to borrow heavily. In 1864, Charles admitted to being virtually “penniless”.

Charles was keen to move to Ceylon, but Julia was not. Attempting to change her mind, he wrote her a moving, lyrical description of his “Swiss cottage” bungalow and the surrounding plantations in Ceylon. In Ceylon, the cost of living would be cheaper, and he was confident that his health would improve. Later, Julia wrote that Charles’ passion for his Ceylon properties had “weakened his love for England”. Lord Overstone, their main creditor, was pressuring them to sell Rathoongodde (Rahathungoda), their plantation in the Deltota area managed by son Ewen.

Finally, Julia gave in partly because four of their sons were already in Ceylon. Charles’ health is said to have magically improved. In 1875, when she was 60 years old and Charles was 80, they left “Dimbola” for Ceylon, taking a maid, a cow, Julia’s photographic equipment, and two coffins, packed with china and glass. Henry Taylor noted that they had departed for Ceylon “to live and die” there, and that Charles had “never ceased to yearn after the island as his place of abode”.

Their son, Hardinge, the Governor’s private secretary, owned a bungalow on the river at Kalutara, on the western coast. Julia and Charles divided their time in Ceylon between Kalutara and their plantations in the hill country. Julia soon fell under Ceylon’s spell, writing that “the glorious beauty of the scenery — the primitive simplicity of the inhabitants and the charms of the climate all make me love Ceylon more and more”.

When the botanical painter Marianne North visited the Camerons at Kalutara, Julia went into a “fever of excitement” at having found a European subject. She dressed North up “in flowing draperies of cashmere wool” (despite the intense heat), with “spiky coconut branches running into [her] head” to be photographed. A remarkable photo taken by Julia shows North standing at her easel on the spacious verandah of the Kalutara house, with a bare-bodied “native” holding a clay pot over his shoulder.

Julia must have been busy during this period, because North noted that “the walls of the room were covered with magnificent photographs; others were tumbling about the tables, chairs, and floors”. But, only about 30 photographs from Julia’s Ceylon period have survived. The architect Ismeth Raheem, who has conducted extensive research on Julia, has stated that some photographs given to the Colombo Museum appear to be lost. No surprise there.

After a six month visit to England, Julia developed a dangerous chill (pneumonia?) upon her return to Ceylon. She died on 26 January 1879 at Glencairn Estate. Charles and four of her sons were with her. Her coffin was drawn by white bulls and also carried by plantation workers to St. Mary’s.

My great, great grandfather, Charles Joseph Braine, arrived in Ceylon in 1862, as the manager of Ceylon Company, which I believe is the predecessor of Ceylon Tea Plantations Company. By 1880, he is listed as the first owner of Abbotsleigh Estate in Hatton. (In contrast with Charles Cameron and Herbert Brett, who named their homes in England after plantations in Ceylon, Charles Joseph named his plantation in Ceylon after his property, Abbotsleigh, in England.)

The Camerons arrived in Ceylon in 1875. British planters, away from home and often stationed in remote plantations, socialised mainly at two locations: their clubs, and at church. I have no doubt that Charles Joseph Braine and the Camerons had met at the club, perhaps even during Charles’ previous visits to his plantations, and at church.

St. Mary’s Church, Bogawantalawa, was dedicated in 1877. Although Charles Cameron wasn’t religious and did not attend church, Julia did, traveling perhaps on horseback or bullock cart like the families of fellow planters. The Camerons gifted three stained glass windows to St. Mary’s, and that is obviously where Julia worshipped and wished to be buried.

Charles Joseph’s son, Charles Frederick Braine (my great grandfather) arrived in Ceylon in 1869, at 19 years of age, six years before the Camerons did, and worked at Meddecombra Estate in the Dimbula area. Later, he was the manager of the vast Wanarajah Estate. He, too, may have met Charles and later Julia Cameron. Braine must have worshipped at St. Mary’s, because, as I stated at the beginning of this article, his infant son was buried at St. Mary’s churchyard in March, 1879, only two months after Julia was buried there.

My grandfather, Charles Stanley, was born in Ceylon in 1874, and, as a child, is likely have met the Camerons, or at least Julia, at church. He had an angelic appearance in early photographs, and I like to imagine Julia tousling his hair! Hence, although no records exist, three generations of my ancestors are likely to have been acquainted with the Camerons, and perhaps worshipped alongside her at St. Mary’s.

The legacy of the Camerons

Julia Margaret Cameron is acknowledged now as one of the most important portraitists of the 19th century. Her work has been exhibited in important galleries and museums in the UK, the USA, Japan, and elsewhere. The photographer Stephen White, who calls Julia a “revered figure” in the history of photography, wrote in 2020 that an album of Julia’s photographs was valued at £3 million. Each of her prints are said to be worth about $50,000.

The Cameron home on the Isle of Wight, “Dimbola”, is now owned by the Julia Margaret Cameron Trust, and consists of a museum and galleries. It has a growing permanent collection of Julia’s photographs, and is dedicated to her life and work.

When I visited St. Mary’s Church in 2012, looking for evidence of my ancestors, the churchyard was covered in weeds. Stephen White, who visited St. Mary’s Church in 2017, lamented that the grave of “a woman whose photographs still stirred thousands with their beauty, and whose name was spoken with reverence by lovers of photography around Europe and the States” could be so “forlorn … unattended [and] unadorned”.

 A photograph of the grave that accompanies his article indeed shows a neglected gravesite, the curb cracked. The more recent photo shown here, from the Thuppahi’s blog, shows a better maintained grave. Ismeth Raheem wrote that the house on Glencairn Estate where Julia died had been demolished in 2021.

While Julia is the better known of the Camerons, Charles made a lasting impact on Ceylon as a member of the Colebrooke-Cameron Commission, which, among other contributions, provided a uniform code of justice for the island. His on and off association with Ceylon was much longer, about 50 years at the time he died. A romantic at heart, he loved Ceylon with a passion.Recently, Ismeth Raheem and Dr. Martin Pieris have brought out a short film, “From the Isle of Wight to Ceylon”, based on substantial research on Julia’s life. Finally, in Sri Lanka, Julia Margaret Cameron appears to be receiving the recognition she fully deserves.

Ancient humans lived in forests closely connected to nature. With the development of human civilization, people started moving away from forests and preferred to live in their artificially built environments. With the addition of more and more diverse structures that cater to different requirements, cities emerged. Some environmentalists sarcastically call cities concrete forests as they are so congested with mand-made structures.

In most of the cities, available green spaces are gradually disappearing as commercial lands are in high demand. Many of us are living in busy cities with sensory overload caused by congested roads, workplaces, and even extended hours of daily work. Although the creative human brain can do many wonders, people are disconnected from nature and highly attached to a digital world, created by man himself. Most of the time we use our brain for logic, information processing, and decision-making. According to findings, this stressful atmosphere leads to many negative health effects and, in extreme cases, generate negative feelings about life. As a result, many people turn to alcohol and drugs, while others seek medicine and therapies to get relief from stress and depression.

Nature and trees were hitherto accepted as sources of food, medicine, and other commercial utilities. Scientific studies have proven that the brain behaves differently when a person is in nature. However, for many, visiting a forest or a park has been a rare activity done on a vacation. Reconnecting with nature will reset your brain recharging your mental capacity. Humans are made to be refreshed by nature. When people are deprived of this outdoor balanced behaviour, they seek temporary happiness from indoor addiction-based behaviour. Addiction of glucose, various substances like cigarette, and digital screens are common in our society. Salient feature of these types of addictions are that a person wants it again and again at a regular interval as the happiness they get is temporary and end up with many health issues.

The self-healing technique of forest bathing was introduced by the Forest Agency of the Japanese government during the 1980s. Forest bathing is not simply walking through a forest. The practice of forest bathing broadly means the conscious and contemplative act of being immersed in the sights, sounds, and smells of the forest. Instead of just walking through the forest one has to appreciate the surroundings and connect with them. It is taking a moment to appreciate your surroundings and enjoy the beauty of nature. Most importantly, feel the tranquility of nature while forgetting the harshness of the city.

In Japan, it is known as “shinrin-yoku” and after many research studies on the health benefits, they have included forest bathing in their national health program as a part of preventive health care. According to research, forest bathing lower stress hormones, reduce blood pressure, and boost the immune system. It is proven to improve feelings of happiness and aid speedy recovery from illness. You will feel less angry and sad and free from unwanted thoughts. There are many other advantages that differ from person to person. This is a combination of meditation and mindfulness practices as both these states come naturally if your senses focus on the nature around you. Another intangible outcome is that forest bathing will improve your emotional intelligence. Today, forest bathing has been very popular for its numerous health benefits leading many countries around the world to adopt it.

If you are interested in forest bathing, the following are some tips to get you started:

Select the forest or park nearest you. A place where you have pleasant childhood memories will be the best. Then, leave all technical gadgets, like phones and cameras. Move through the forest or park slowly and in silence. Close your eyes and listen to the subtle sounds of trees swaying and creaking in the breeze. You can feel the same breeze moving around you. Take deep breaths. Listen to the sounds of birds and other wild animals. Count how many different sounds you can hear. Open your eyes and scrutinize the vivid colours, patterns, shadows, and peeping light through the tree leaves. According to studies, the green colour is associated with feelings, like refreshment, rest, and security. Dip your legs in a stream if available. Touch the trees and feel their physical attributes. Remove your shoes and feel the sponge damp earth beneath your feet. You may stay as long as you can though it is recommended to stay two hours to get a complete experience of forest bathing.

The Buddha preached that “Nothing ever exists entirely alone. Everything is in relation to everything else”. Therefore, getting reconnected to the forest will heal you from the agonies of this busy world.

(The writer is a water resources engineer)

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