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Savouring simple pleasures of a window seat to Ladakh
Spice of Life: The tall trans-Himalayan mountains seemed to salute us, standing tall and mighty like sentinels posted to welcome us
It had been a while since I stepped out of the house, let alone enter an aeroplane. But having received both doses of the Covid-19 vaccine, I recently decided to join the rest of India in 2021’s hottest tourist destination, Ladakh.
When they learnt of my plan, my friends chastised me for breaking the cardinal rule of visiting Ladakh on a motorcycle, as I opted for the faster and more convenient mode of air travel. “At least take a window seat,” one of my friends begged me, acutely aware of my disdain for window seats. After much accosting, aided by some lovely photographs from Instagram, I finally relented and occupied a window seat, ready to fly to Leh. Little did I know, though, that this would be my best decision in recent times.
No sooner did my flight take off from Chandigarh than Punjab’s lush fields filled the view, only to be replaced by the verdant, rolling hills of the Shivaliks. As the plane ascended, I tried concentrating on my Kindle, but the magnificent spectacle captivated me. Leh was still far, but snow-capped mountains filled the panorama as far as the eye could see from the plane’s window. The tall trans-Himalayan mountains seemed to salute us, standing tall and mighty like sentinels posted to welcome us, while a small village here or there added to the mystical, infectious charm of Ladakh even before I had officially set foot there. Below us, the mighty Indus flowed across the foothills, embellishing the mountains like a necklace of pearls.
I first sat in an aeroplane when I hit my teens and like most children, found myself drawn to the window seat. Despite my Punjabi relatives’ bad attempts at cracking unimaginative jokes and advising me not to throw my hands outside the window, I used to love watching large cities like Delhi, Bombay and Calcutta merge with the infinite sky, even if this moment lasted for a few minutes before the flight ascended. With time, however, I outgrew my fascination for window seats. I preferred aisle seats, which offered more flexibility and space to wrap up pending work on my laptop.
My recent flight to Leh turned out to be a literal and metaphorical ride through various emotions. I stopped everything that I was doing and admired every second of the journey, falling in love with the natural beauty that cannot be seen anywhere else, untouched by urban pollution. I also saw my childhood flash in front of me, recollecting the several adventures I accompanied my parents on. They passed on their travel bug to me, always encouraging my sister and me to explore as many places as possible. I recalled the simpler days of childhood when a window seat was all it took for me to experience a bout of euphoria that today, only a cup of piping hot, spicy masala chai gives me.
With a good cup of masala chai becoming rarer each day, it might be a good idea for all of us to take the window seat sometimes, doing nothing but admiring the cities float by under blankets of cloud which challenge our imagination every moment of the journey. I look forward to my next adventure on a window seat, with only a cup of masala chai to keep me going till then! rishabhkochhar92@gmail.com
The writer is a Chandigarh-based freelance contributor
