Memories etched forever..

With hope for adventure, with a smile of expectations,

the four of us tread our way, to a trip..though short,but unforgettable..

Bags packed, snacks stacked, we began our journey,

through state borders of Punjab, Himachal and Haryana...

The bus wound its way to the hillocks and hills,

it seemed all the same, untill we felt the slight chill...

Yes, we were drifting away from the rainless dry earth of the plains,

we were at 'Nahan', and as if under heavenly reigns...

The clear skies, patched with cotton white clouds,

The mountains, ever so dense;greenery an essence...

Four friends, four hours,

and there we were at 'dastar asthan'

We took a breath of fresh air,

Enjoyed the drizzle and the panorama of paonta sahib so clear...

Over the bridge, under which the Yamuna flows,

the road that links one end to Uttarakhand and the other to Himachal's rainbow...

From paonta sahib to herbertpur,

from Herbertpur to Vikasnagar ,

we looked around in awe, of the beauty surrounding us...

A warm welcome by a loving family,

no wonder our friend is so lovable, just as her folks...

a walk around the countryside,

sneak peek into the old lanes running side by side...

Then came 15th August, the day freedom is to be felt..

Did we not feel it through and through with a tinge of pride,

Looking at the gen-next..little school girls and boys?

They sang, they danced..

they recited poems from the glorious past,

we realised these were the days one is nurtured from our country's clay to a cast..

Off we were amongst the mountains of Mussourie

Stolen into some fairy world,

Alas..something earthly followed us..

yeah it was the abominable 'traffic jam'..in a swirl!

Nothing stopped our spirits to reach the destined destination..

There we were after walking uphill, 2kms and a half..to feel the slight tingle and chill..

All that was to be seen were the green mountains and the clouds cloaking the valleys,

the market was pretty much Delhi,Nanital, Mumbai..

Taste buds woke up to the good ol' 'Bhutta'

And before we knew we were walking through clouds..!

The sun went down behind the hills,

and our hearts sank as we were home bound..

Back to Vikasnagar was still full of hope,

because the fresh air, we were sure to breathe..

When time came to go back to 'City Beautiful'

all we did was sigh...

We knew we'd miss all those wonderful moments with friends ...all our lives