E-Paper
Solo journey home turns life-changing experience
Spice of Life: The gentleman said, “You should travel alone as your mother can’t be with you every time. You should learn to be independent.”
When Rabindranath Tagore gave the call of “Ekla cholo re,” even the poet laureate would have been unable to fathom the turmoil that a kid, all of 13 years, was undergoing as he embarked upon his first solo journey from Jamshedpur in faraway Jharkhand to his hometown of Patiala away from the protective care of his parents and comfort of his friends.
My father was with the Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti and a frequent traveller, but yours truly, a student of Class 9 at Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya at Saraikela in Jharkhand, was making his first lone foray into the unknown to spend the summer vacation with his mother who lived in Punjab.
According to the original plan, my father was to accompany me but had to cancel the trip due to some urgent work. The thought of being alone in a train scared me no end. It was 2008 and incidents of retaliation against attacks on North Indians in Maharashtra were taking place. Clashes had taken place at railway stations in the region that fuelled my apprehension. But overcoming the reluctance, I decided to undertake the journey.
My mother was to receive me at the New Delhi railway station. “Mom, please reach on time. I want to see you in front of my compartment when I arrive,” I begged her.
Finally, the day to travel dawned. The train was to leave at 7am and reach Delhi by 5am the next morning. My reservation was in an air-conditioned compartment as my father wanted to make sure I had a safe journey.
Most ofthe passengers were asleep. My father pulled out a ₹100 note. Giving it to me, he advised me to stay alert. Then in a stroke of paternal affection, he took out ₹500 more and handed the money to me. The temperature in the AC compartment had dipped, but I felt the warmth in his concern.
By afternoon, a gentleman in his mid-40s seated on a berth next to me, woke up.
After a few minutes, he asked me my name. “Sutanterpal,” I replied. “Where are you from,” he continued. “Punjab,” I said. He smiled and said he was also from Punjab but lived in Delhi. I felt my confidence go up.
He offered me his mobile phone so that I could talk to my mother, who was relieved to hear my voice and we reiterated our commitment to meet at the Delhi station the next morning. The gentleman was listening to my conversation. After I was through, he asked me why I was troubling my mother by making her travel from Patiala to Delhi.
After I explained the situation, he said, “In future, you should travel alone as your mother can’t be with you every time. You should learn to be independent instead of depending on your parents.”
His words forced me to rethink my decision. Convinced, I called up my mother and told her that I would be able to reach Patiala alone.
The next morning, after we reached Delhi, the gentleman accompanied me to the Inter-State Bus Terminus. After making me comfortable in a bus, he called up my mother and gave her the details about the bus I had taken for Patiala. By now, my hesitation had gone and I was bubbling with energy and enthusiasm.
My first solo journey, undertaken without the security of my parents, gave me the confidence and courage required to step into adulthood.
Later, I went on to travel alone from Patiala to Jamshedpur on a few more occasions, including going to Delhi to receive my mother when she was returning from Jamshedpur.
Life sure had come full circle. spsmanes.000@gmail.com
The writer is a Patiala-based freelance contributor
