History of the Picnic basket

Years back , one particular day was declared by the State  to strike work, from dawn to dusk. The previous day evening people
from our work place struck the idea to utilize the day  for a long pending picnic. Since it was a sudden thought  nothing was there
ready for a picnic, taking outdoor picnic items. The car , the gas  for the car, the tent the cookery items, food items all to be collected and kept ready for an early
morning start. As there shall be no movement of any vehicles on the road after 6 am we need to reach the spot well before .

Each one was assigned with a task. To search the picnic tent, to pick up and store preparatory items for  food,  to fill the car with
gas, collect fishing nets, and picnic baskets and blankets all were assigned to each one of the picnic team. Having done this by 10 pm all were instructed to assemble
at 4 am the next day, as the travel time required is almost two hours.

By 4 pm all except one had assembled and removed the back seat of the car to accommodate al things, like folding chairs, and the seven   member team.
Waiting for fifteen minutes one of the member was sent to bring the overslept member. We drove down the picnic spot route and it
was 6am and just half an hour’s drive away , we spotted a group of people ready to stop our vehicle. As we could get alert well ahead,
we made an “about  turn” and searched for a sideway  and found a cross country metal road to reach our picnic spot and by then it was 7 am.
It was a foothill of a  forest mountain, and left our car there locked, informed the local tribes living there  and  carried the things that we
collected the day before.

After a  half our trek on the hill we found a serene atmosphere with  a calm water stream  making a  U turn and in the middle of its course
was there a white sand bed. The water in the stream was just knee deep and crystal. We crossed over the stream just by walk a reached
he sand bed. Then it was all freak out. A was fire  created using the  small wooden sticks collected from here and there. First thing we prepared
was black coffee.

Then it was all for bathing in the clear water stream for more than two hours . In between using the same fire pancakes and gravy were prepared
for breakfast. Again it was the time to prepare lunch. The cooking team started its work again.

Suddenly there appeared three forest officials on the site and started enquiring our identity.We explained our reason to be there and he got
convinced and still   asked us to leave the place immediately at it is an offence to make fire in the forest area.

Obliging the officer we had to put of the fire  and  pack up everything, some cooked and  some semi cooked. Again we trekked back to the foothill
and waited till dusk  to move our car. We had to leave the picnic spot with a somber mood.