A visit to the village of love: Rampur.
The idea of travelling always amused me but it had been ages since my family went on a trip and this fact was bothering me. I had finished my 10th standard board exams for good and school had given me a whole 2 months of summer vacation. Both my older and younger sisters were also on their holidays. This was rather an unusual event, that all three of us are free at the same time. Thus, my dad announced that this holiday we would be going on a trip. The first thought that came to my mind was "Phewwww", filled with relief and a little bit of excitement. However, that vanished as I remembered the horrifying rule we had in my family: wherever the family goes, there can be only 2 kids, since my younger sister was only 8 years old she got a free pass. The question was whether it would be me or my older sister going on the trip. This tough decision was my dad's to make. I suppose it was my lucky day that he picked me.
As I woke up I could hear the wheels of the suitcases screeching. I was late! Thankfully my bags were packed and I just needed a quick shower. My grandmother, dad and younger sister were getting in the cab as I ran down the staircase out of breath but right in time to leave for the airport.
There's something engrossing about airports. It started from the checkpoint at the entrance, tall men standing there with a green uniform on and a rifle in their right hand. Just looking at them made me feel anxious and I questioned whether I've committed any crime. After getting past them I felt at ease. The machine that scanned our suitcases grabbed my attention and I secretly took a peek on the screen without getting caught. We hadn't eaten breakfast yet so we stopped at a mini restaurant there to have some sandwiches. I wanted to look around the airport a little more but I heard my dad calling my name, informing me our plane was about to leave soon. I rushed over to them however, I didn't forget to imagine I was the heroine of a blockbuster Bollywood film (I have the habit of imagining I'm being filmed whenever I go to airports haha).
With the knowledge that this was going to be a short flight I didn't bother arguing over who gets the window seat. We landed in Chandigarh, Punjab pretty soon. The next few hours were going to be us in a cab with a talkative Punjabi taxi driver and some good Punjabi music. My grandparents lived in a village called Rampur, which was far from the city. We made just one stop at a dhaba to eat lunch. It was around 9 p.m. when we reached our destination: my grandparents house a.k.a 'The house of love'.
The feeling of waking up to roosters going "Kuk-a-da-koo-koo" was new to me. The sun was brighter and the wind felt so fresh. My Nanni (Mom's mom in Punjabi), was out in the garden picking fresh vegetables. Everything they used in this household was fresh and natural, from the milk to the dye she used to hide her grey hair.
I was thrilled to experience a week of village, natural and wholesome life. Instead of the echoing sounds of cars honking I could hear birds chirping, cows moo-ing and leaves moving. Food was being served to me like a feast for every single meal. It made me wonder if my Nanni is covertly trying to make me gain some pounds. I couldn't complain as the varieties of parathas, dhals, sabji along with fluffy rotis made my mouth water. Everyday of that week I discovered a new relative that I had. We walked along the crooked streets of the village and around every other corner stopped by a house to get the blessings of my elderly relatives. I remember the pungent smell of the dishes they treated us to so clearly. I am sure I learnt a few new words from every house I went to. In the evenings I witnessed cows being milked and chickens laying eggs. The sight was rather captivating. My Nanna (mom's dad) would take me and my sister on walks in his wide farm of wheat. He never forgot to tell us about his quirky jokes after dinner and also humbly forced us to watch some cricket.
We did not visit any historical monuments, museums or tourist locations that entire trip. But, to me visiting those houses, looking at the faces of my far family members, listening to their stories and not so funny jokes, eating the traditional Punjabi delicacies they gave us, touching their feet to get their lifelong blessings and realising that I had a family so very big with people of hard work, extremely loving, joyous and mine made this one of the most memorable, happy and a trip so close to both my heart and memory.
