Syaahi ki Awaaz

Punjab tourism We thought that by this time we would be in Himachal and would finally become one with nature. But here we were, standing in a local bus stop in Punjab, with the sun over our heads, being as harsh as it possibly could and a bag on our shoulder, weighing like a ton. It is a bit funny though, that in this moment we were not complaining about our situation. There was a feeling that probably it was not as bad as it might sound. There was an unexplained content in our hearts. We were together and that was the only thing that mattered. Many buses passed by and we jumped on every bus to ask whether it will take us to our destination. It made a spectacle. About 15 people with huge trekking bags running towards each and every bus on the road, but never got on any. It was probably not a common sight for the people of Kurali, the small town where we were stranded. At last a man came and out of sympathy helped us, by telling whatever he could. Finally after a good field resear...

The tragedy The bus was ready and so were the people inside. I could feel the rush inside of me. Standing outside the door, I gazed at the stairs. They were covered with blue carpet. I stepped inside the bus. It had a peculiar smell, smell of adventure perhaps. It was around 8 in the night, when the engine roared and we took off towards our destiny. Was it good or was it bad, it was yet to be discovered.  I sat with Khando, a girl with an independent mind and a sanctified soul. Her experience and knowledge made her the perfect candidate for the Columbus of our ship. Behind me was Verma. Her look was just a cover, for what she was capable of could instill fear in people. Beside her was Tanya, the girl with the power of persuasion. Her voice was an enchantment which could make men believe that sun can rise from the west. On our right was Indirayani. Her strength, both physical and mental was unbeatable. She was our Iron Lady. Lastly, I was there. On our way the bus stopped for ...

The Hardest Part "I want to go to Himachal with my friends." I said to my mom. She turned around and reminded herself of the first time I said the same thing to her.  The first time I asked her for a permit, it was a college trip which eventually got cancelled. Ever since then all our plans to cross Delhi border failed miserably. This was our last hope. A trip that had no strings attached to the college, a trip with my 4 best friends.  Mom stood there for a while, staring at the floor and then she looked at me and said "Ok". This small word meant the world to me. Little did I know that in her mind, she was positive that the plan would never take flight, like the ones made before.  As the time passed and we booked our tickets and made arrangements for the trip, the darkest fears of my parents resurfaced. The thought that this time the plan might work was disturbing them. As the day came closer, they would very often call me for short pep talks about how this dre...