Disconnect To Connect (Leh Ladakh - Post 2)

"Let’s play a game! First Impressions!" Manav exclaimed.

Everyone stopped playing cards and looked at him intently.

With his trademark broad smile, he continued, "Yes. First Impressions. We all will share our first impressions about each one in this room and then we'll also have to tell how that person is now."

Everyone echoed simultaneously, "Yes! That's fun."

She giggled at the thought of this game and the 1st person she thought was the one she met during this trip and loved the most.

She started sharing her 1st impression about him and how she judged him for being so aloof and who looked so lost on the very first day of their trip. She had mocked his fashion sense with the bag he was carrying with him.

"What about now?" Manav asked her.

She looked at him, who she swore as her son, who was the first person she would go and check on after waking up, help him pack his bags every single day, in spite of an injured knee, would check if he has eaten properly, had his daily chai (2 cups each time) and also if he wants any pictures of him to be clicked and continued with a smile, "and now, everyone knows he is my son! I love him. He's the one who'll be missed a lot. Especially, shouting at him, every single morning to get him ready for the day."

Her eyes turned a little moist and so were his. Their bond was inexplicable.

One by one everyone spoke about each person present in the room. They all had a good laugh at few moments while at some they debated. It was the best gang of the trip!

It was the turn of everyone to talk about her. 

The guy sitting next to her, who apparently had been good friends with her, was the one to start talking about her.

He looked at her, smiled mischievously, and said, "The first time I saw her was in Chandigarh, in the dining hall. She was wearing shorts and tee and looked way out of my league. I looked at her and said to myself, 'this girl will not even look at me. Let alone be talking to me.' She's not even looking around the room!! She sure as hell has an attitude!"

She looked at him aghast! But was quick to say," I do have a little attitude."

"No! You don't. Okay? It's just you pretend you have an attitude but you are very kind and loving. And I guess, even your son would agree here." he said looking at her sworn son, who did nod in agreement.

Next was Manav's turn to share his first impression about her.

She looked at him and held her breath to listen to what he had to say.

He looked at her and said," The 1st day in Chandigarh when I had come up to your room to welcome you both, Sujata opened the door. When asked about you, she said that you are sleeping due to a hectic day, especially due to the Chandigarh's heat. We all had a small casual talk and I informed about dinner which would be in the dining room around 10.30 p.m. and bid bye as I had to go to Railway Station to get the bikes."

Looking around, he continued, "Later, when these both came in the dining room, this girl, walked straight up to the food counter, served herself and sat on a different table altogether. No greeting, no introduction, nothing! I thought, 'at least basic courtesy to say hello to the organizer of the trip!' Yaar itna toh expect karta hu yaar organizer hu! I waited for 10-15 minutes but she did not come to my table to have a word. At last, I got up from my seat, and walked up to her, and said, 'Dipti? Hi, this is Manav.' she meekly said hi and went back to her seat. I thought to myself, 'This is going to be very difficult. If she has this attitude, it's going to be tough dealing for 13 days!"

She couldn't believe what she just heard. Attitude? Difficult to deal with?

But Manav continued,"But I guess, in Manali, we started talking and I could not have had any less fun!"

Though it did pacify her a little at the moment, that night, as she crawled into her cozy bed amidst the warm wooden cabin, she got thinking to herself, if 2 people had nearly similar comments about the first impression they had about her, there would be much more!

She promised to change herself a little bit and be more open and communicating with others.

No, she was not having any attitude issues or ego problems. She was just a little introvert in the beginning. She opens up at her own comfort.  She chooses her people carefully. She is not the same with each and everyone; in a group of 10 odd people, she'd be different with each one. No, that does not mean she is fake, it's all on the comfort level she shares with one person. She loves unconditionally. She is crazy. She has flaws but that's okay. She is unstoppable. She is filmy and has her own creative way to look at life. She may not be the one you’d walk up to first, in a room full of people. She would look lost, but she is not. She is silently observing, understanding and interpreting every emotion. She trusts the vibes she gets. She follows her gut. Her eyes shine. She does not hate people; she just doesn’t like drama people bring in.

Two days later, when it was time to bid everyone adieu, as everyone else had to continue their journey towards Jammu and then Chandigarh via Amritsar.

She wanted to give a courteous farewell to everyone, even to those, with whom she had hardly interacted with.

Few ones asked her to keep in touch, whereas few asked her to meet them when she visits their vicinity. A couple of people told her they would meet her whenever they are in Mumbai and some asked her about her knee injury and to take care of it on priority.

She felt nice and thought to herself, 'It is not as difficult as it seems! It’s easy to interact, just smile politely and greet them!'

As one-by-one people started getting loaded into the Shikara who’d take them to the roadside, where they all will be back in respective cars and/or bikes, she felt a void inside her chest. A black hole which made her sob, tears started rolling down her cheeks.

Suddenly she wanted to go back a few months and listen to Manav’s suggestion of ending the trip at Chandigarh. Who knew, a bunch of strangers at the beginning will make her want something she never thought she wanted in life – People!

Once everyone had been out of sight, she went to every room where the fellow mates stayed and said goodbye to the rooms. She switched off unnecessary lights, ceiling fans or television sets.

Once done, she requested for someone to get the small boat and take her back to her boat house. As she sat in the boat, her eyesight fixed on the boat house where a few minutes ago were so many people, some she really adored and some she wanted to spend some more time with.

She reached her boat house, and went straight towards her room, locked the door, and cried her heart out. She wanted to run away to the roadside and hug a couple of people, ask them to stay in touch, ride the bike safely, etc. But she could not. Time had gone to do so.

20 minutes later she received a phone call from the guy who she’d call her son, and he asked her to come outside the room. She thought he is back to say a final bye and with tears in her eyes and smile on her lips, she ran towards the entrance, to see only water! He said, “I can’t see you!” she looked around to check if he was playing any prank with her, and replied, “So do I. Even I can’t see you!?”

He said that he is at the roadside. She felt her heart getting heavy again, and could only squeak, “Oh!”

“Just imagine that you can see me and wave your hand,” he said with a choked throat.

She raised her left hand and started waving aimlessly and replied, “Bye beta. Eat on time, and if you need anything, give me a missed call or text me. I’ll soon come to see you. And take care of yourself.”

“Haanji mummy, horr kuch? (yes mom, anything else?)” he said in Punjabi.

“No. Nothing else, you just take of yourself and eat on time.” She replied.

“Wait, Kaka wants to talk to you,” he said and handed the cell over to the guy she had become good friends with.

“Hi,” she said.

“Hey, why didn’t you come to the roadside?” He asked.

She could no longer hold back her tears and started crying.

In between the sobs, she managed to tell him that she was missing everyone and does not want to go back to Mumbai.

“Stop crying motu. We all are here, with you. You need not worry. We’ll come to meet you in Mumbai very soon. Also, we’ll be in touch over calls as well. And get your knee cured as next year we have to go to Spiti Valley, remember?” he said with such warmth, she managed to have a smile on her lips again.

They spoke for few more minutes before he was called by Manav for some work and he had to hang up the call.

She walked slowly towards her room again and started getting ready.

A few minutes later, there was a knock on the door. She opened it to find it to be a fellow traveler with them, who hugged her and said, “Don’t cry. We all will be in touch. I will invite you to my wedding in Chandigarh. Also, we all will go together to Spiti Valley and have fun.”

She just nodded and said, “I found many friends her. You are one of them. I will miss you.”

"Me too." came the reply.

They hugged each other and decided to meet outside in the hallway in 20 minutes so they can move towards the airport.

Life teaches us a lot of things over the period of time.  Some lessons, some memories. Leh Ladakh trip changed me a lot. It has been wonderful 2 weeks of my life!

 There’s more to explore, more to live, more to meet and more to love!