A Road Trip

[originally written on 29 June, 2025]

The weather has been disappointing lately. Clouds gather and disperse at their fancy, and we are yet to witness a decent downpour during this monsoon. The sky remains cloudy for the most part, but that provides little relief from the sticky, humid weather.

Growing up in northern India and visiting the eastern states during summer vacations, I always used to wonder why men here were often seen shirtless. The most they would have is a vest or a gamuchha- which is a thinly woven cotton towel perfect for wiping away sweat. And it dries quickly, too. Exactly what one needs in this humid weather, where one is bound to sweat by the gallons. This unforgiving weather, which peaks from April till the monsoons last, may very well be the reason for this choice of attire(or lack off) of the people here.

Brave that I am, I decided to undertake a solo trip to a nearby place. If you’re expecting descriptions of pristine blue streams, a dense tropical rainforest or virgin beaches, prepare to be disappointed. I visited none of those places. Frankly, I didn’t even travel by any modern mode of transport. I relied on what we call ‘11 number ki bus’ or the Bus no. 11!
In other words, I walked.

It wasn’t a hike or a trek. The distance was hardly 2 kilometres. I walked to a hillock in a nearby village and took in the view of the area. The elevation wasn’t anything spectacular, nor was the view.
The best part of the climb, if one can call it that, was the process and then the silence and solitude on the summit. There was no one there-neither 2 two-legged nor 4-legged. There were surely some centipedes and millipedes, but no remarkable flora or fauna. I didn’t take out my phone to take a picture or a video even once during the entire walk.

Initially, while at the location, I was bored by the lack of special sights and sounds. But it was only after having spent a few minutes in complete silence that I realised the importance of the place.
I could just sit there. Still. Unbothered. Unknown.

People who’ve read my previous writings know about my love for silent, calm and empty places. I like to see places when they are barren of human activity. This was exactly like that. The few moments of peace which I managed to gather were soon interrupted by rolling storm clouds! I do not mind the rain one bit. It was lightning that I feared. Anyone who’s lived in Eastern India will tell you about how dangerous it gets here. So, I had to hurry down the small hill and in no time, I was back amidst civilisation.

I am happy to share with you, dear reader, that the clouds didn’t disappoint, and midway to my home, the rains came down with all their heavenly might. Naturally, I didn’t change my pace at all, and by the time I had reached my home, fumbling with the doorlock while trying to open it, I had already formed a small puddle of water from my drenched clothes.

The rains went on for the entire late afternoon and evening and extended well into the night. This kept all the loud evening walkers and the noisy kids who play less and fight more confined to their quarters, and that was another thing I was thankful for as I took in the calmness and solemnity of the blue evening from my balcony. A fitting end to the day, I guess.

For those of you who’ve made it this far, bearing my boring, incoherent ramblings, and think of me as an anti-social person, I’ll say I am not. It’s just that I value my company over forced friendship and unwilling acquaintanceship. Over time, I have realised that I have very little tolerance for such things. I do have a liking for long, meaningful conversations with some friends and strangers, but that happens rarely.

Anyway, I hope you had the patience to read this through. Let me know what else I should write about. Give me a prompt or a sentence/thought to begin with. Or share your ideas, maybe?

Till then, dear strangers, have a wonderful time.

Ciao!