Tanvi held the steering wheel tightly and looked at the Ganesha idol placed on the dashboard. Mummyji had gifted her Ganesha when she brought the car home. She also broke a coconut in front of the car and did some puja decorating the car’s bonnet with a holy sign meant to ward off the evil. Tanvi looked up at the balcony of her house where the clothes were basking in the sun and Mummyji’s over sized bra was peeping from behind her stained, flowery nighty. There was no one else in the balcony.
She thrust in the key with a seeping anger, turned the car on and drove out of stifling Rajouri Garden.
Mummyji who was watching from behind the window curtain started sobbing uncontrollably. Tanvi’s car slowly went out of her sight. She hoped till the very last moment that Tanvi would change her mind. Tanvi was now gone.
Tanvi was leaving the chaotic Delhi behind; the Delhi which she knew so well, the Delhi where she had spent her 35 years, the Delhi with which she shared a love-hate relationship. Events of the recent past were rolling into her head like a black and white movie on fast forward mode.
She hadn’t yet decided where to go. Delhi border was approaching. She couldn’t think of anything. Tanvi had blanked out. She switched on FM to clear her head. Mohit Chauhan, her favourite singer was singing:
“Mai ni meriye
Shimle di raahe chamba kitni durr
Mai Ne Meriye
Shimle di raahe chamba kitni durr
O shimle ni vasna, kasauli ni vasna
Shimle ni vasna, kasauli ni vasna
Chambe jaana zarur
Chambe jaana zarur
Mai ne meriye
Shimle di raahe chamba kitnik durr”
Was this a God sent hint? She turned her car to drive towards Kasauli. Let the music of life play on. Tanvi was going with the flow of music.
293 kilometres, 6 hours and 3 pit stops later she was amidst verdant greenery of this laidback British town called Kasauli in Himachal Pradesh.
Driving on the winding roads of mountains, breathing in the pollution-free air, and stillness of pine trees helped her momentarily ease up. She saw many Himachal Juice shops on the way, showcasing appetizing flavours like rhododendron, apple, litchi and many more such combinations to entice tourists.
Tanvi hastily gulped down a plate of famous momos from Aunty’s Momo corner on the Mall road when she heard euphonious guitar tune at a distance. She seemed drifted and walked towards it like a possessed.
A group of teenage boys were sitting in a park just across the roundabout where the mall road ends. They were happily jamming away. Tanvi always wanted to learn guitar but Mummyji thought that music is a waste of time and will affect her grades.
Tanvi sat there listening. Music has such transportation power taking you far away into a dreamland creating a comforting cocoon around you. It is just you at the moment.
Read the previous post here – Chapter 6 – Impactful Exit
Read the next post here – Chapter 8 – Kasauli – The Music Heaven
This blog post is inspired by the blogging marathon hosted on IndiBlogger for the launch of the #Fantastico Zica from Tata Motors. You can apply for a test drive of the hatchback Zica today.
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[…] Read the previous post here – Chapter 7 – Let the Music of Life Play On […]
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