‘Look deep into nature and you will understand everything better’
  -Albert Einstein

It seems that aside from spending his time on mathematical formulae that changed the world of numbers forever, Albert Einstein was a devout worshipper of nature. And who wouldn’t be? Nature has many facets to it. It seems beautiful, serene, nurturing, inspiring and amazing at the same time it can be tormenting, harsh and bewildering. But all of us have become so busy with our lives that we don’t take out time to appreciate this phenomenal entity in its entirety.

Before 19th September 2015, I would have mocked at the thought of sleeping on the floor in a derelict little school in some corner of the world. But these were the very components that made my trip to Amroh, Himachal Pradesh, special. In my school, Sanskriti, it is mandatory for 11th graders to go on one of the four rural sensitisation trips organised by the School and PRAVAH. PRAVAH is an NGO that seeks to completely erase the line between the urban and the rural worlds through such sensitization trips, activities etc. 

Before going on the trip, all the students had an orientation in which the coordinators from PRAVAH informed us on what to expect from the trip, what was expected from us, activities we’d be participating in etc. They also told us, in the most nonchalant tone, that we should not expect the luxuries of city life while we are there. Then we were handed over a list of things we could not get. It was longer than the list of what we could! We were also told that since there were 70 of us, it would mean an increased pressure on the water facilities in the villages. To ensure that no permanent damage was done to these facilities, we were told not to take any baths while we were there. It was also pointed out that we may have to do with very rudimentary facilities including for bathrooms. Naturally, everyone left the orientation grumbling and expecting the worst.

On the afternoon of 19th September, as instructed all of us assembled at the New Delhi Railway station in our Indian outfits, waiting for our train to pull in. For many of us it was the first train journey in a non AC compartment. At 2:45pm all of us boarded the train, bade farewell to our parents and settled in. Everyone was feeling energetic and walked around the compartment to talk to their friends. We even played card games and just generally enjoyed ourselves. The train pulled up at 12 in the night. We went to a school, where the principal had generously allowed us to stay for the night. The girls were assigned one room and the boys another, on the opposite side. We set up our beds and went off to sleep almost immediately. We were woken up at 5 the next morning in a truly Indian way: by the banging of a plate! All of us woke up grumpily and gathered in the courtyard. There they made us play a set of games to freshen us up and to get our blood running. It worked. In just an hour, all of us were feeling active and ready to face anything. We were then divided into three separate groups and assigned villages. Our group got ‘Amroh’.

We were given time to eat breakfast, change into clean clothes, tidy up etc. we also had to collect our mattresses in one place so that they could be sent to the villages before we went. After that, we had to stay with our groups and the coordinators assigned. The coordinators explained a lot of what to expect from villagers in the form of activities. They told us how not to judge the village people because they may be perceiving things in a different manner and not do anything remotely scandalous. After lunch, we left for Amroh. We reached there in half an hour and stopped outside the public school where we were to stay in. Lo and behold the grounds inside the school were host to a ‘wrestling match’. It was the first time anyone of us had ever seen a wrestling match so intense. It was an out and out ‘muddy affair’ as the competitors were slathered in only mud and some skimpy underwear. It was quite an unusual sight for us. We were prepared for anything now. 

We were allowed to rest for a while before venturing out into the village. We went to an old dada jee’s house. He told us many stories of the Indo-Pak separation, factories being set up on the hillside etc. After that we went back and had a sharing of what we learnt. At nightfall we sat on the roof in a circle under a sky full of stars. The stars burned so bright and we had never before realised that so many actually existed!! The night sky seemed like we were under a celestial dome.

The next day, we were assigned different topics. We had to go talk to the people of the village regarding our assigned topics and come up with a conclusion. We were assigned the topic on ‘life of women in the village’. It was great fun exploring the mountain side and talking to different people. It was also interesting to hear their points of view on different things such as the fact that women in this particular village were thought to be equals of men and were also educated and sent to the city to work. We also saw that the people were exceptionally kind and did not really care about their financial status. They just wanted to lead a happy and peaceful life.

The school we were staying in was a primary school, so whenever we were free, we would play with the children and teach them new games as well. Without knowing, the last day loomed upon us. We did a presentation for the children which they enjoyed a lot. We also planted trees in the school’s garden as a thank you gesture. After lunch, we left for the base camp. All the three groups were now united. We traded stories back and forth.

I was excited to be back in Delhi but the euphoria reduced as time went on. Once a fan of the hustle bustle of the city, I now missed the peacefulness and the serenity. I missed the clear sky and the helpful people. I hated the same aspects I had loved about the city. Because in the end, not having proper bathroom facilities had not mattered. It was the experience and the people who made the trip great. I came back with many more friends and appreciation for all the things that had been provided to me. Life goes on for me but I yearn to return to the starry dome once more.