A ride to remember.

My stomach was churning, but I felt like doing cartwheels. This was like actually living a Hindi film scene! On my way to a good cause, I stared back at the trail we had left behind as we speeded past the bumpy, busy roads of Pune. My thoughts were interrupted by a resounding click. Nisha and Sarika were busy taking pictures, capturing this beautiful and equally weird moment. It would anyways be etched in my memory forever. After the food collection drive for an animal welfare project had been completed as a part of business communication, we were delivering the heap of help we all had managed to collect. But what was Hindi film like in that? Well….Mrs. Jasmine had said “ok, now that we have finished with collection and the tempo is here, I need a few to volunteer to go with it till the NGO”. A few guys reluctantly put up their hands. I and my two friends Nisha and Sarika did too, a little more happily. Mrs. Jasmine’s face lit with cheer, the usual twinkle in her black eyes. “Great then, let’s make a move” she said smirking at us, pointing the other students to get into the college bus.
We were pretty happy until we got to know that we would have to sit at the back along with the huge heap because obviously there wasn’t place for many in the front. The guys had to guide the driver. We just stared at each other for a while until the driver honked so loudly that we almost instantly jumped into the back of the open, rusted, rickety tempo.
“Shit happens” Sarika said. We crammed into the little space, cursing ourselves for raising our hands! The ignition roared and we set off. Some annoying silence had also crammed in along with us. I mean 3 girls set in denims and shirts inside an archaic tempo was amusement for people waiting at the signal. They stared at us like we were from outer mars! The 3 min signal seemed like eternity to me. Then suddenly we saw smiles across their impatient faces. Some even cheered with thumbs up! They saw our badges with the NGO name on it. Suddenly a sense of pride engulfed me. Our cold stares at each other turned into proud broad grins. We cheered back. And so, I am living one of the most weird but learning moment of my college days, I am so proud of it even though its Hindi film types. Nisha and Sarika are clicking pictures. I love this journey; my heart is bumping to the rhythm of its soul. I stare at the chaos that is left behind. A moment I would have thought would bring only embarrassment has brought me to do the weirdest and most unsophisticated things. I am sure however low I am, however sad I feel; this memory will make me smile. It will give me the courage to be spontaneous always. Now I believe it’s not always the tough times that we learn from, but the little nuances of life teach sweeter and deeper lessons.