Ok! After spending a couple days at home, it was time to head Vapi, Gujrat.
My youngest uncle and his family lives here, so it was a good way to catch up with cousins and have my family drop me off at the Mumbai Airport, which is four hours away from my uncle’s place.
Today was all about bidding goodbye to my home at Patansaongi, traveling to Nagpur to catch a train which would take us to Vapi, Gujrat and enjoying the journey with my sisters, family, and cousins. It was something that I was really looking forward to as it was going to be the last time I would get to enjoy with my family before finally bidding goodbye a couple days later.
Anyway, before leaving my parents’ place in Patansaongi, I took a good look at my room and the spot where I used to study during my grade 10 preparations. I took a look at my parents’ house from the outside and took a picture of it. Whenever I look at that picture, I feel so special because the house bears my name on it. Even though I call it my parents’ place, having my name up there gives me a sense that this is my home.
We had booked a car to take us from our place in Patansaongi to Nagpur Railway Station. We usually take bus for this route, but everyone were going this time and we had a lot of luggage to carry with us, so it made sense to just book a cab and have a convenient and comfortable journey instead of their opposites.
We reached the Railway Station in around an hour and that’s when the waiting game begins. Even though we are in 2017 and there are so many cool things in the world, the one thing that still remains unpredictable is the Indian Railway schedule. I know it has improved considerably over the past few years, but still it is a long way to go if you compare it with the transportation systems in some of the developed nations.
We waited for around an hour before the train decided to show up and it took us some efforts to find our seats and request the fellow passengers to get up from our seats as we had reservation – the part that I hate the most.
The rest of the journey was such a blur. Usually, I don’t prefer traveling throughout the day. This time, I was with the family, so the time went by pretty quickly and I didn’t have to complain about anything.
The day started for us at 9AM and it finally ended when we reached Vapi around 9PM. My cousins and uncle and aunt were waiting for our arrival and as soon as we reached, the atmosphere in the house was chaotic. Everyone were talking, gossiping, and catching up with everyone.
My sister, Minu Tai, had already arrived from Bangalore and was waiting for us. Once everyone settled and had food, all cousins got together and started making fun of each other. I treasure that memory and it is one of the most special feelings in the world. I miss these moments. I miss them!
Next stop – Vapi (again), but exploring some touristy places with the family, before heading to Mumbai for my US flight.
stochasticity 