There are times in your life when everything spirals down. Everything goes bad. And the tunnel goes on and on, with no hint of light at the end of it. In times like these there is this small voice in your head that compels you, nudges you, and prods you to pack your bags and leave everything for a land unknown. In this land lies peace. In this land lies the answer to all your unresolved questions. And very few people have both bravery and stupidity to give in to this voice.
A Leap of Faith
I never qualified as a spontaneous person. I like things meticulously, seamlessly, thoughtfully planned. It soothes my anxious self to always know the next destination of my life. But years back when life was not being kind to me and was throwing one challenge after another, I truly decided to pack my bags and booked my tickets to Rishikesh. Somehow I knew that, that was the place to be. One of the many pro points of living in Delhi was this- you get a sudden urge to get lost in the Himalayas spontaneously, and lo behold, there is always a bus available to take you to ‘pahado ke paar waali duniya’ (something I desperately miss here in Hyderabad). 
The early morning breeze hit my exhausted face as I deboarded the bus at 5 am. An unknown town, dawn time, and arriving in the city 6 hours before my check-in time. I headed to the backpackers hostel in hope of finding an opportunity to check-in early. The auto ride to the hostel was filled with multiple unlikely (or maybe likely, cause its India) scenarios playing in my head. I shared my location with my mom and kept my faith intact on humanity.
The ripples, gurgles, and sheer joviality of Ganga was my companion in the entirety of that solo trip. I did manage to check in early, I also managed to have my ‘darr ke aage jeet hai’ moment when I went river rafting, and reluctantly went inside the waters. There were so so many moments that are forever etched in my heart. You know exactly how they portray in those coming-of-age movies.
Embracing the beauty of solo trip in Rishikesh
Be it roaming around the Ganges, hiking along the dense trails with acquaintances I made in the hostel, dipping my toes in the chilly water of Neer waterfall, or even exploring unknown white sand beaches. But the one moment that stood out the most was my escapade after witnessing Parmarth Niketan’s iconic aarti- my ukulele as my companion, I went to the beach, in dusk, and started strumming, singing- from bade ache lagte hai to la vie en rose, I was aware of people watching me and I truly didn’t care. In that moment, it was just me in front of the nature. Me, my music, and nature’s music in unison.
There were so so many takeaways from the trip. I returned to Delhi and to work after two days. My problems were still there waiting for me, the situation was still as bad. But my perception changed. Everything seemed so miniscule in front of the universe’s scheme of things.
The Takeaway
The nature that we are a part of, has bigger things in store for us and the things that seem so big now may not seem the same in future. It is a scary thought to feel the sublimity of nature, but it is also comforting. We are indeed a speck of dust on the face of the universe. It took me one spontaneous solo trip, a spiritual Rishikesh experience, and proximity to Ma Ganga (cause only mother can teach you such in depth insights) to understand this!
~Shriyanshi Shukla
