I had just come back from my hometown after the Diwali vacations. Was still fondling with memories of my friends, parents, the bylanes, my bicycle, empty wide roads, clear skies, greenery…
A mixture of nostalgia & depression had overtaken while I was moving ahead in the herd of some 40 girls to board the train to Goa.

In a whiz, the past was left behind. And I was back in the present. Our hostel warden was taking us to Goa. 40 crazy girls and just 4 boys. One of them was the warden’s 5-year old son (we don’t believe in cradle-snatching), her husband (sorry, we were not interested), hostel cook (huh?) and, of course, our tour guide (ahem!). This oh-not-so-good-looking-tour-guide probably never got so much attention in his life ever ;)

Even before we reached Goa, our vocal cords was yearning for some rest. And also our fellow passengers, as nobody could sleep in our compartment. We touched Goa and suddenly jeans transformed into shorts, tops became backless and bandana was the biggest piece of cloth seen in the vicinity.

They crammed us into rooms. It was more like a dorm. The hotel food was horrible. But no one heard complains, of course, we are not talking about cribbing.   

This was my first trip to Goa… in 2000. And I clearly remember each moment with the sun, surf and sand. We plunged into the water each time we got a chance. Explored lots of virgin beaches. Bought cheap clothes and changed around the beach. Huge, tall and beautiful churches. River cruise and the band that rocked coz we were there! We put life into every place we went to. And popped two Disprins to alleviate the pain in our legs before sleeping. Did I mention that a lot of effort went into impressing this one single tour guide? None of us even knew his name. But that barely mattered then.  

We got back and the effect lasted for sometime… till our exam results came out. And we thought either of the past (exam time) or of the future (career).  

Sometimes it’s so simple to keep the past & future away and live the moment. And yet, most of the times we delve into the future or dwell in the past. But Goa seems to be just the right concoction to do so. Each time I need a break, I reach Goa… with or without a gang.  

Rakshita Verma