My vacations
There is nothing like a
Saturday - unless it is the Saturday leading up to the last week of college and
into the summer vacations. That of course is all the Saturdays of my life
rolled into one big shiny ball. Summertime is a magical time in a course of a
year when I have nothing to do and all day to
do it. The brief period of freedom in a long life of serious labour, expanding
responsibilities and increasingly heavy obligation is like a way for life not
to escape me, to get out off the automatic-pilot and rediscover my passions,
enthusiasms, friends, family and the vitality of partaking in the world outside
career brain lock.
I had a fantastic summer vacation!
My family and I spent a lot of time together. I also went to see some of my
relatives and ended travelling to Uttrakhand for a big fat Indian wedding. It
was nice to be able to spend so much time with my family this summer.
It was merely a coincidence that I
began my trip with a marriage ceremony and ended up with the same. My travel
began with a luxurious bus ride to The City of Nawabs, Lucknow, where I
attended my sister’s grand wedding. It was a real fun to hang out with all my
cousins and meeting my relatives after a long go. Then my family and I headed
to Orissa, my home. Coming back home was refreshing as always. It was like
going to a place where all waiting for me, was love. I thoroughly relished my
stay at home. Waking up early just to escape the hot summer rays while playing
cricket, coming back drenched in sweat, eating breakfast with my mother’s hands
and then having nothing to do but sleep made me fall in love with all that so
much that now it’s difficult to line up the normal schedule. My family and I
spent a lot of time at the nearby beach. We would usually arrive by 12.00, when
the sand was as hot as coals in the barbecue. Sometimes we would stay until
7.00 in the evening to watch the flaming red ball creep slowly down into the
shimmering water. Going there was my favourite thing to do all summer.
Towards the middle of my summer
break, my father and I travelled to Kolkata to visit my brother undergoing an Appendicitis
operation. I would not count this experience very pleasing as it was my first
visit to a hospital. The specific smell of the hospital compound, being in an
ambience full of diseased microbes and the fear while sitting outside the
Operation Theatre made my stay uncomfortable for a short while, but as time rolled
on, staying with my brother and making him feel better replaced the discomfort
with a feeling of contentment. After my brother was discharged, the numerous
sleepless nights of the hospital ended up at my Grandmother’s place, where I
literally slept for 16 hours before ongoing my normal routine. Visiting her seemed like being surrounded by a golden halo of light
where I can pause and refresh my mind. She made me put on some weight by making
me over-eat every meal, but that made me more fond of her. I had the time of my
life enjoying with my uncle’s family. Those visits to sundry places, movies, playing
cards, open air barbecues were like a piece of cheery on my vacation cake.
As my vacation was coming to an end, I
made a trip to Uttrakhand with some of my friends, for another wedding. It was more of a reunion for us. The late night
chit-chats, spicy bollywood tracks and the action- packed environment was a
real thrill. Although we felt like a chicken roasting over an open flame in the
extreme heat, we danced with all our strength in the wedding. It was surely a
wonderful time.
Even though my summer was loaded with
activity, it still seemed like a long break. After spending so much time at the
beach, travelling to Kolkata and attending two big fat Indian Weddings, I felt
like I needed a vacation!
It’s truly said that,” No man needs a
vacation so much as the person who has just had one.”
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