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Solo Scenes

Semester 1 exams were over beaten up the local vegetable vendor. And why he
and November had bid adieu. was right for doing it yada yada.
The winter chills were pleasant,
What if they take us on the wrong route and mug us?
blushy and romantic! The
Are they going to beat us up? Worst, are they going
travel bug had bitten and finally to kill us? Should I talk to the passengers? Are the
I was on my first solo trip to
passengers their men too?
Himachal!
Sayali Kshirsagar By that time, I had recited the Maruti Mantra thrice
Set on the mountains of Kangra
already. The bus then stopped mid road. The driver
valley, surrounded by the Dhauladhars , is the city got off. I had already devised a plan for an escape
of Dharamshala, Home to His Holiness, Dalai
from window and attack the driver, in case he harms
Lama. 15 days in Dharamsala were pure bliss, I
me, with the swiss army knife brother gifted me. I
must say. The Dalai Lama temple, the Shiva cafe on lost it. Let’s be patient, I said to myself. After 20
the top of Bhagsu waterfall, the Tibetan cuisine,
minutes the driver walked in the bus. ..and in his
mutton momos, the cold breeze, the mountain dogs hands, I saw the cutest mountain pup I've ever seen!
and The Dhauladhars! To add the zest, was the
Snow white and furry, shivering and sad. The driver
snowfall! If perfection had a form, this was it, I
said to the boy, " The pup was running alone in
thought. between the road. Tried searching for his mother,

With a heavy heart, I left Dharamshala and boarded but she was nowhere to be seen. I think he is lost. If
the bus from Cantonment at 9.00 pm. As I boarded, we leave him here alone, he will die. Let’s take him
I realised that i was the only passenger with the with us for now and drop him to the next village" I
driver and conductor. I had booked a seat just was numb! The man I have been judging all the way
behind the Driver's seat for extra Leg space. Now I turned out to be the one with mushy heart filled with
wont decline that I judged the driver from his love and care. (So stupid of me!)
appearance. Guilty! I coudn't help but do, The next 3 hours passed in playing with the pup and
especially when I was travelling alone and boarded
chatting with the driver about Dogs and
the bus with no passengers! The driver, was a huge Dharamshala! We left the pup in a village on the
man, with a visage bigger than the normal size, of
way. I reached Delhi safely.Never Overthink. Be
which half was hidden in thick & long black beard
alert, but rational, I thought.
and other half with bushy eyebrows. (There is
“Don't judge the book by its cover”, hence
nothing wrong in this appearance, but the fact that
personified!
he was huge, alarmed me). The conductor was a
young boy of 20s maybe, and did not seem anything
like a normal bus conductor. I cursed myself for not
taking the HRTC bus.
As the bus started, they begin to talk among
themselves. I am guilty of eavesdropping here.
They talked about politics, guns and goons. The
driver's voice had decibels much above normal and
my heart pounded. The bus stopped at the base of
the Mountain and 5 more passengers boarded. I let a
sigh of relief. 3 hours passed...there was dead
silence and passengers had slept with motion
sickness when I couldn’t help, but eavesdrop,
again. They were now, talking about how the police
had caught one of their dear friends and how he had

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