A Tale from Rishikesh: My Story, My Way - Part I

Life had been much more fun and exciting ever since I met him.

Going a few months back in the calendar year, I can count April 2015 as one of the most happening, exciting and adventurous months of my life. The month brought me a bagful of surprises, learning, experiences and a lot more to count on.

Join me to relive the two most memorable days of my life that I spent with him in April 2015.

It was just a prank

It was the April’s first weekend, 3^rd day of the month. While I was returning from office, we were on call sharing our day’s experiences, how well it went, etc. (as practiced by us for more than 2 years now). Amid our conversation, Siddhant began talking off the track.

He: Achcha suno

I: Ji..Bataie

He: Yaar wo mere previous work organization k friends have been asking to plan an outing. Ab taal taal k thak gaya hu. Soch raha hu ab kuch plan kar he lu.

His previous organization colleagues had been asking him to plan a trip but he had been delaying this engagement for quite some time now. So, this time he was thinking of finally planning something out with them. 

He just had to utter these words and my excitement level went to its peak. I was lost in my dreamy world of how it would be with Siddhant beside me all the time. I enjoyed fantasizing about our next trip together, the things we will be doing, the time we will spend, the clicking of pictures and more. And like always, he could sense it.

While I was lost in my cuddling dreamy world, he barged in between and said, “Kuch places suggest karo.” This was not the first time that he had asked for my suggestions on the travel destinations. Siddhant has always known me as a travel bug. And so, whenever travel is something on his mind, he treats me like a travel expert who can suggest the best travel destinations of the season.

Without stressing my brain too hard, I quickly suggested a few places that, in turn, were instantly rejected. “Look for or think about some good options for the trip. We will discuss on the same tomorrow. Till then, I will ask some other friends as well,” he said.

Our conversation was like a 5-minutes rain which didn’t quench my thirst but left me with a hope of coming back again.

The weekend went off managing some household chores at my end and he being busy in some personal stuff. And so, we didn’t exchange a word over the entire weekend.

We are going

Let me be honest! If it’s about planning a perfect vacation, Siddhant is an ideal planner who will take care of everything from conveyance, hotel bookings, places to see and all that a trip demands. And, when it’s about terminating an almost completely planned vacation just before the final bookings, there’s no one who can do it better than him. It’s not that he enjoys being a trip spoiler. It’s just that he is not a very fond traveller. He firmly believes in what he says, “It’s never a great idea to waste 3 days in travelling. Instead, stay back at home, relax and do whatever you want to do.” And, contrary to that what I believe is just the opposite, “Life is about travelling and exploring new places. So, why wait for tomorrow? Let’s begin today.” 

Truly, when it comes to traveling, our thoughts are miles apart. I have been noticing such vast variations for more than 2 years now. And so, when he had shared the latest plan with me, I was 99% sure that he won’t be going for it and will ensure that it gets cancelled by hook or by crook. But, even when I knew the reality, I chose to stay quiet so that I could watch him enjoying the prank.

It was Monday, April 6^th, 2015. I was at work writing an article on how to be best at your work. While I was working on point number 2 which stated, “Choose what interests you”, I received an unexpected call from him which went on like:

He: Busy?

Me: Sort of. Tell me?

He: No worries, will call you later.

Me: No, No. Tell me what happened?

He: The trip has been finalized and we will be leaving for Rishikesh this weekend. Achcha, will call you in the evening to share rest of the details.”

Me: Ok

  

I was happy but not extremely. We were finally going for a trip after a long time but applying for a leave would have raised an issue in office. I had just returned from our off-site from Jim Corbett National Park. 

Owing to this, I couldn’t concentrate too well on the day’s tasks. The clock struck 6.30 pm, calling it an end of the day. It was time for our routine call. 

Receiving his call this evening had a different feel and excitement. The conversation began with the routine questions and gradually, we started discussing the trip details till I reached home.

The trip dates are out

He had told me that the bookings were still pending, I was pretty sure that we won’t be going. But, what was that? This time he had acted like Akshay Kumar of Rowdy Rathore in which he says, “Jo main bolta hu wo main karta hu.”

I was amazed. It’s Tuesday and the trip dates were final. I hadn’t asked a single question till now, which now almost choked my neck. I couldn’t resist anymore and so, I raised my first query.

Me: Are we actually going?

He: Yes

I couldn’t believe my ears but avoided repeating the same question as this could have pissed him off. I smiled in my own thinking that he will definitely drop it at the last moment. So, I thought of waiting till the final bookings were done.

The next day brought me another surprise on a 34-sec call with him during office hours on which he said, “The bookings are done. So, ma’am get ready, we are finally going.”

This was unbelievable. I kept every thought aside and replied him back with full zeal and enthusiasm. He was extremely delighted but somewhere he could sense that I am worried. He confirmed if everything is fine and I said, “Yes”. He, then, said, “Fine, I am keeping the phone for now. Will share the details in sometime or may be when you leave from office. Let me know, I will call.”

The trip was all over my mind now. I was happy and excited like a teenager who has been asked for the first date in her life.

I returned back to my desk and sat down lost in my dreams that made me smile on and off. Like an every time witch of my dreams, my friend interrupted and said, “Hello, what has happened to you? Why are you smiling?” I simply replied, “Nothing dear.”

But, she is no less than a stubborn child who won’t sleep unless you read her favourite bedtime story. When she didn’t stop raising her queries even after 15 minutes, I said, “We are going for a trip to Rishikesh but please don’t share this with anybody. Now, please be quiet for some time, I am planning about something.”

I started day-dreaming again. Happy I was!

He called me while I was heading towards my home after a busy day at work.

 

He: Busy?

I: Naa, naa, was just waiting for your call.

He: Ok. So, allow me to share some of the trip details. We will be leaving on Friday night and will be reaching Rishikesh the next day morning. We will be staying there till Sunday evening and will be back in town post midnight. As I have already told you, all the bookings have been done except the cab bookings that are being handled by one of my friend. Now, if you have any questions, please ask.”

I had multiple questions. And, so I started one by one.

I: At what time will we leave from Delhi? Are you going to pick me up or do I need to reach somewhere?

He: I will be coming to pick you up. Please be ready and done with your packing.

I: Ok. But why did you say that we will be reaching our destination the next morning? Rishikesh isn’t that far.

He: It’s just a rough assumption. It might take longer or we may reach early.

I: Do we plan to visit Hardwar since it will be on our way?

He: Yes, and we will be visiting there before going to Rishikesh.

I: Ok

He: Any other questions?

I: No, as of now.

The call ended landing me into a beautiful dreamy world.

Halki-fulki Nok-jhok

Just 2 days left for the trip! I was super excited as anyone would be. But, there was something that was bothering me. It was a leave that I had to apply. I had been thinking over this mind-boggling situation for so many days now but couldn’t find a rescue.

Over the past two years, I have religiously followed one mantra to all my problems - "When nothing helps, call Siddhant." And so, I finally decided to share the situation with him as I have known him as a person who will always be there for me in happiness & in sorrows, in fear & in disgust and of course, in need.  

There's one more thing that needs to be mentioned about Sidddhant. On sharing a certain problem with him, it’s not mandatory that he will right-away share his suggestions. Instead, he will first ask for your views, stay mum and interpret whatever you say. At max, what he says is “hmm”. I do not regard this as a wrong attitude but there are times when you are really trapped and expect him to speak.  

Again, he did that. I was irritated to the core. I was expecting at least a single suggestion from his end but all in vain. He didn’t say, suggest or speak a single word except for that 3-alphabet nuisance that invites only offence from the other side.

At first few instances, I ignored and expected him to speak something soon. But, he didn’t. When his "hmm" were too much to take, I couldn't control and burst into anger, “What do you want? I am expecting a single suggestion from your end and you can’t give me that? What sort of a person are you?” I even blamed him for things that he hadn’t done, “You didn’t even bother to discuss anything with me. You simply told me when the trip was final.”

And, then he articulated. “Excuse me. When did I force you for anything? Didn’t I tell you the dates on the very same day they were discussed? Didn’t I share the plan with you?” And, the blame game continued for the next 10 minutes, with me at the listening end and he at the talking.

When enough was said and heard, I said, “There’s no point in screaming and shouting. Let me think over it and I will get back to you. Sorry for whatever I said.” Highly irritated, he said, “I don’t need your sorry. And please, do whatever you want. Let me know in case you are not joining us for the trip because then I have to look for another company.” I said, “Ok”. And the call was disconnected.

In the next 5 seconds, I realised that I was smiling, recalling one of the most beloved statements ever said by him on one fine evening; he had said that he eagerly wanted to visit Rishikesh with me. 

The leave question took over my mind again. I was stuck. I couldn’t decide what to do. I was sure that I will be going anyhow and so, I started thinking of some “good” reasons that I could state to my manager. I thought of a few realised and finally decided that for one day, falling sick would be the best option.

So, it was decided. I will be ill on Saturday. :P

I called him up to say sorry for being rude. I also shared the reason for such behavior and he said, “Sweetheart, don’t worry I understand. You just stay chill, go home and pack your bags.” The only thing I could say was “I love you”.

I was very excited when I returned home. I started collecting my dresses to pack my bags but being tired from work I couldn’t manage much of my time to complete the packing.

Let’s get rolling..

It was Friday, the day we were supposed to begin our exciting and adventurous journey. As my everyday routine, I reached office on time. But, the day was different for me. I was not in my own; I was happy and engrossed in my dreams and the day at work went off like the sand slipping through my fingers.

Pack your bags

I had planned that I will be leaving office exactly on time. I had to complete my packing before he arrived at my place. But, destiny had other plans for me. I left for home on time but unlike other days, I had to commute through public transport, which took just double the usual time it would have taken to commute from office to home.

As the clock hands quickened to pass 7:25 pm, my stress was growing deeper. I knew how much he will be annoyed if things were not in place on time. If nothing else, my pending packing was sure to piss him off.

I thought of confirming with him the approximate time he would be taking to reach my place. And by God's grace, I was saved! He was still in office and said that he will be reaching around 10 pm as he had to travel by metro.

I reached home around 7:30 pm. Without any further delay, I quickly started packing my luggage and preparing dinner. I was in the mid of my packing around 8 pm that he knocked at the door. I was surprised. I wasn’t yet done with my packing and I knew he will be very angry.  

Unlocking the door, I asked him how he could manage to be there before time. He said that his brother had dropped him while going home. While he was still entering the gate, the first question raised by him was “Packing done?” I smiled and said, “Not yet.” Irritated he was! He said, “Don’t smile. Just pack your things quickly. I don’t want anyone to wait for us.” I said, “At least sit down and have a glass of water. I will just go and finish it.” But, he is he. He didn’t bother to listen to what I had to say. He simply said, “No, leave everything. First go and pack.” Giving him a glass of water, I left from there.

Love truly develops your sixth sense. I had a strong feeling that he will lose his temper tonight; the reason can be anything silly or genuine.

Like a kid who is always excited to cherish small things with his siblings or parents, I was also excited to share some office stuff with him. I always enjoy doing that and it makes me happy & content. I treat him like my doctor who, I believe, should know every little thing about me or else he won’t be able to cure my troubles.

Amid my packing, I went to him thrice to share something or the other. At first, he was calm and asked me softly, "Finish your packing first so that we may talk." He was a bit angry when the second time I went to him but he stayed calm and said, “Please complete your packing, we will talk then. I do not want anyone to wait for us.” It was the third time that he finally lost it and screamed at me, “Don’t you understand? I am asking you something. Please go and finish it first. Don’t come out before that.” I was shaken.

Without uttering a single word, I went back into the room, completed packing and got ready to leave. Tears had started rolling out.

He knew that I was crying but he chose to stay quiet so that I quickly wrap up everything. When I was done, I went directly into the kitchen and continued preparing dinner. He came to the kitchen and said, “Sorry” very politely. I didn’t look back. He continued, “See, I was just asking you to finish everything so that we can sit and talk without hurry and stress. You know I like everything in place and I don’t want anyone to blame us for anything.” I kept mum and continued looking towards one side of the wall. He turned my face towards his and said, “Look, you can’t stay like this for long and we know this. So, let’s not ruin the evening.” I couldn’t stop smiling and uttered my usual dialogue, “Ap Gande ho.”  

He smiled and said, “Let’s sit, have dinner and talk.”

Time to get started

It was 9:30 pm and we were enjoying our “we” time. I was sharing one of the stupid things from office during which his friend called and said that he is coming with his friend to pick us in the next 15 minutes.”

So, it was finally the time to get going.

After half an hour, Mayuri and Gautam were there to pick us. I had met Gautam many times before but the meeting with Mayuri was a second one. The only meeting I had with her before had given me an impression that she is a very intellectual lady who talks about sensible stuff. She loves to praise everything she sees or anyone she meets.  

We met both of them at a pre-decided spot from where we drove and reached Dwarka in the next 45-minutes’.

Introducing our own “The Drama Queen”

The cab was there waiting for us. Gautam had gone towards his home to park his car. Me, Siddhant and Mayuri were waiting for him standing outside the cab. And suddenly, the intellectual I had met a few days back had changed into a Drama Queen and had begun showing her tantrums.

And here she began, “Uff, these mosquitoes. Lagta hai innhe mjhse pyar ho gaya hai.” She was busy rescuing herself from the mosquitoes. She was wearing a short one-piece dress and so, was an easy mosquito target. I and Siddhant just returned Mayuri a smile without uttering a word.

While we were still waiting for Gautam, I noticed another interesting element of the trip. The cab driver was a typical ‘Jaat’ fellow with a huge built and was under the notion that he was always right. However, he never talked utter nonsense but he gave his inputs in whatever we talked/discussed during the trip.

Gautam was finally back. We all sat on our seats and the cab started moving towards Patel Nagar, New Delhi. We had one more couple, Rohit and Ananya, joining us for the trip. Siddhant had been talking about this couple for quite long time and so, I was expecting it to be an interesting one.

We drove from Dwarka and reached their residence in Patel Nagar in the next 45 minutes. Siddhant and Gautam decided to wait outside the cab for them. Since it was midnight, we were expected to wait inside the cab. But, the drama queen couldn’t resist stepping out of the cab.

The couple came in the next 15 minutes after which we began our journey.

It’s just the beginning

There was happiness and excitement on every face. Since, most of us had met for the first time, the chit-chat started with an idea of introducing each other. We had just driven for about half an hour from Patel Nagar and the drama queen began again. This time, she was hungry as she didn’t get time to have dinner. On asking what she would like to have, she responded with a mix of nothing and everything. In her words, “I am craving to have something spicy and chatpata or I can also have something light to munch.” She couldn’t decide what she actually wanted. Siddhant and Gautam went to fetch something for her. They went to a distance to find a General store and brought some snacks for all like peanuts, chips, cold drink, etc. On seeing the pack of peanuts, her reaction was surely a surprising one (at least for me). “I don’t like peanuts; I would rather have some namkeen sort of thing. Anyways, now I will manage”, she said.

How could she behave like a queen and expect her friends/co-travellers to be her ‘sevaks’?

I, somehow, managed to control my temper and didn’t let my face express what’s behind that fake smile. To my surprise, the queen didn’t munch enough snacks to control her hunger or satiate her craving. Having a bit of it, she started sharing the rest with others in the car and said that she was no more hungry. At this moment, I behaved like a dedicated audience watching some tamasha being performed on the roadside.

We started talking and discussing about the stuff from across the globe. We could hardly cover a distance of a mere few kms and the drama queen popped up again with the same statement – “Yaar, I am hungry again. Mjhe kuch khana hai.” Noticing such weird behavior, Gautam now lost his temper and got annoyed. Siddhant asked Gautam to calm down by convincing him that everybody was hungry, it’s not just she and said, “No worries! We will have something on the way, may be some parathas.” He asked for a confirmation from the rest to which everyone agreed.

But, even God couldn’t make her sit quietly for some time and she continued screaming “hunger hunger” till the time we halted at a dhaba to have parathas. The queen was finally a bit content now. She said, “Yee..we will have parathas now. But let’s find out loo first.” I accompanied her to the loo and thought that she will be quiet for some time now. But I was wrong. While still in the loo, she again started singing the love of mosquitos for her. I gave up now, thinking that no one can make her sit quietly.

Dhaba and Parathas

We enjoyed parathas and chai sitting on the charpai. Clicking pictures and chit-chatting for a good 1 hour, we started moving towards our destination.

Apart from our paratha break, we took a number of other breaks and quick naps as well except Siddhant, who was sitting next to the driver and continuously chatted with him during the entire journey so that he doesn’t feel sleepy.

With Siddhant, one is definitely safer and secure as he is a highly responsible individual who loves to take care of the rest.

It was around 5 am and we were about to reach the holy city, Hardwar…

To know what's next, continue reading A Tale from Rishikesh: My Story, My Way - Part II