THE LURE OF MOUNTAINS

The scenic beauty of the Himalayas presents a panorama of
infinite variety when viewed from different places, time and
season of the year. The viewer never loses sight of the ever
changing panorama with its thickly wooded mountains, dark
blue ranges, one piled over another and in the background
of the landscape of magestic snowy peaks, each rising higher
than the other, behind the morning mist or when gradually eve-
ning falls and fades into dark after having shed golden light.
Down below the hills, we have the grand panorama of green
fields and woods encircled by silvery streams, and at night the
fierce flare of the jungle fire illuminating the surrounding
areas. Grander still is the moonlit night which makes the
leaves of forest trees quiver with delight and makes the peaks
spark with silvery shine in the background of the ajure sky, the
rivers reflect the silvery moonlit reflection. The burst of the
monsoon creates mixed reaction in the mind of the locals and
visitors and when the water-laden clouds burst over mountain
barriers and quench the thirst of the valley setting every stream
and revulet into spate which in turn floods the rivers with so
much mud and silt that they roar down the gorges sweeping
everything which falls in their way. Still more captivating is