Sunday 13 March 2016

The NH4 Diaries



         Against the setting perfect ball of orange Sun ,the blue canvas of sky has wisps of white clouds smudged here and there studded with flocks of birds flying back home in the flawless ‘V’ shape. And me? Down, with the wind whipping my face gently, my hair flapping back and forth keeping up with the wind and I am bumping up and down sitting in the back seat of the bus beside the window. Sitting next to me are strangers, but the road I am travelling is no stranger to me.

        I have lost count of the number of trips I have taken on the NH4. But every time that I travel, it has a new experience in store for me. Getting unplugged from everything- the internet, the headphones, the depression, the regrets and basking solely in nature’s resplendence.

      Through the window, I watch the world pass by. As a bus or car passes by, I steal a glance inside. There would be families going on vacation or just friends having fun or just people dozing off. On the sides of the roads, I see dog playing with its puppies, kids running behind the cotton candy Walla, farmers returning home with their harvest or in rare cases, monks going on padhayatra in white clothes and sacks. The teashops have stories to fill in two large volumes of books. My favourite part though is the tin full of cookies and candies they sell and the steam drifting from the boilers.

     There goes a truck! Oh wait, there’s another one. And another. Dang, there are so many but each has a character of its own. The cool graffiti and the play of desi colours on them is ravishing. As the truck passes, the moor comes into view stretching as far as it could. Then there are the fields with the promise of profuse greenery.

      It’s not always that I get the window seat. Once during a festive time the bus was so crowded and I had to sit on the engine block in the front. It was so hot that I had to stand in frequent intervals to cool down my back. LOL It was so funny and I even made friends with another girl who shared the same seat.

     As I frame this writing, the sky has turned to a darker shade of blue with streaks of pink and purple clouds sketched and the violets blurring down the horizon. It’s time for me to get down from the bus and I already look forward to the next trip.

   Of freedom, realisations, experiences and happiness is what the NH4 has always been to me. I suggest you take the ticket to happiness too. Travel, Travel alone and enjoy the world becoming your friend. I am certain you would fall in love with the NH4, like I did. And you would want to come back for more, like I want to.

Happy Journey!



I am posting two of my works here inspired by the NH4..






This is a storage truck. It even has a secret compartment when you open the front part. (Oops! did i just reveal the secret?!)








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And I made a storage trunk out of junk.


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