Page 237 - Sanidhya 2025

Nostalgia in the Wrong Age

Three hours. That’s how long we had been waiting at others decided to quietly slip out, crossing 10-12 coaches
Raipur Junction — and for the first time, we weren’t including the pantry and made our way into the AC
annoyed by the train delay. At least, I wasn’t. I was only 11, compartments, pretending our parents were nearby.
yet the excitement I felt made me feel much older. It had
taken a lot of convincing, a few setbacks, and some Miraculously, we pulled it off as the AC compartment was
last-minute packing. But as soon as I stepped onto the considerably underoccupied. For hours, we cooled off in
platform and saw all my best friends waiting, every doubt comfort, escaping notice. The return journey to our actual
melted away. compartment was even more thrilling avoiding teachers,
sneaking past the pantry with full confidence on our faces
Yes, this was a school trip not a family vacation and we yet our hearts pounding.
were headed to Goa.
We reached Mumbai by evening, had dinner at Mumbai
I had meticulously planned everything: my first wallet Central station, freshened up a bit, and caught our next
(which I still use), my outfit rotation as well as all the other train to Goa. This part of the journey was uneventful
important itinerary. And, like a true Indian mother, mine mostly spent sleeping.
had packed enough snacks for my entire friend group. We woke up to the voices of tea and coffee vendors of
Goa. As we stepped out the air felt salty and somehow
Our journey was from Raipur to Goa via Mumbai. The more alive. We boarded our designated buses and made
moment we boarded the train, the chaos began, kids our way to the resort. And like President Trump once said:
fighting over window seats while teachers tried to restore “It was big and beautiful.” (The resort) Best part? It was the
order. Quietly, I placed my bag on the upper berth and off-season which meant it was practically ours.
claimed it. (My friends called me “British” for this
despicable move.) Eight of us, including me, were assigned a full villa with
four rooms. One was occupied by our class teacher, but we
We spent most of the journey doing everything at once, still had plenty of freedom. I chose the upper-floor room
playing games, chatting endlessly, and eating chips, with my two best friends.
biscuits, basically whatever our hands could reach. As night
fell, we all finally dozed off. The resort had everything from an all-you-can-eat buffet
to a 24-hour pool, which was an endless opportunity for
By morning, we were crossing through the Western Ghats. us to have fun. We ate like medieval kings, swam like we
The heat and humidity became unbearable in our sleeper were born in water, and didn’t waste time doing
coaches. That’s when mischief took over. Me and four unnecessary things like sleeping.