Again on roads with Nini – Day -1
Aditi Ghosh
Again on the roads… with Nini… almost after 4 years .. leaving the busy city behind us towards devbhumi (Rishikesh). This was usual for the three of us… always ready to go… let’s go with our alto. Over time, we have a heavier car but somehow our travel has reduced. We could not make it for something or the other. And then, the pandemic hit us and everything went haywire. In the meantime, Nini grew old… into her 10th year now. This time before travelling, we deliberated a lot. Rajesh thought it might be too much for Nini at this age to travel for 5-6 hours and I was trying to convince him that she would just love it. Finally, Rajesh decided to consult Nini’s doctor. Dr laughed at Rajesh’s concern – ‘you are only taking her to Rishikesh, she can go Ladakh’. So finally we are here now on the bank of the Ganges surrounded by clouds and hills.
On arriving here, excited Nini jumped into the river navigating the stony river bed and water current, and pulled me into it. I was totally unprepared for it. Nini never liked pools in the doggy park. But of course, the mighty flowing Ganges is different. I realised that I had grown older, not Nini. The rest of the evening we spent watching birds, and clouds and embracing occasional heavy downpours.
The writer is a globe traveller
