The Six Take On India

Inspired by a True Story, by Jaanu *Names may be fictitious!

The trip began with my realizing that I had left my jacket at home. My family had just reached the airport for the most exciting month of our summer: a wedding in India! My sister’s nuptials were fast-approaching, and to add to our delight, four of our incredible friends were joining us for what we optimistically thought of as the trip of a lifetime.

“My jacket! My jacket!” I ruffled through the luggage as everyone began writing labels and tying them to their bags at the check-in counter. It was nowhere to be seen.

“You don’t need to worry so much about a jacket on this trip,” my brother said, calmly, chugging the rest of his water bottle before stowing it away for security. “We’re going to India,” Dale supplemented. “It’s hot there.” He was busy tying a luggage tag to his 17-year-old brother Jude’s shoe- “In case he gets lost.”

I was dubious but followed my parents into the line for security. After waving goodbye to our friends’ families, we were off.

Walking out of the Indian airport was like walking into a humidifier. We arrived quite just before dawn in India. Our arrival, like everything else on this trip, was tumultuous. An Airpod was missing.

“I swear I just saw it…” “It probably fell somewhere here while you were sleeping…” Talking over each other, the whole group fell to searching for it, until the airline staff gently booted us out of the plane because the next trip had to be prepared for.

Just as we were leaving the plane, my mom noticed an airpod on the ground. Everyone cheered for a minute, until we realized that it wasn’t the one we were looking for. Sadly, we disembarked the aircraft hoping against hope that, somehow, somewhere, the airpod would be recovered.

As per usual, we put our stomachs before practicality, opting to try some street food instead of heading straight home to rest. The airport and the area surrounding it was incredibly busy for how early it was. The tea shops were already busy, and we knew we were in India by the chatter and people milling about, as well as the many stray dogs wandering the streets.

“First impressions of being in India,” I said, turning the camera from face to face.

“This is really good,” Matthew announced, raising a samosa in a toast. “Andrew thinks it’s spicy though.”

“It is…very spicy,” Andrew said frankly. And that was the story of the whole trip.

Shopping had to commence almost immediately because the travel my uncle and aunt arranged would start soon too, and we needed the classic attire for the wedding. The friends and Navin were beyond delighted with the new clothes. “Looking dapper, looking dapper,” they congratulated each other. The packed, humid streets were in stark contrast with the cool, fancy, air-conditioned store interiors.

The gap between wealth and want in India is hard to explain, but it’s something that all six of us experienced very viscerally. On the very first day out in Chennai, we were hailed by a very young boy with a swollen eye trying to sell stickers. It was so hard to feel powerless to do anything directly to help. He should be at school, not wandering the roads alone trying to sell stickers. But then we saw him run over to vendors peddling their wares and sit down. Were they his parents?

It reminded us how much we have at home. I was so very proud of my brother and my friends approached the world during our trip: so open to learning, humble, and reflective. Some of my favorite moments on the trip were the conversations we had between and after the little moments.

Another incredible piece of the adventure was a visit to the mountainous Kodaikanal region. We drove through the mountains on a huge van-bus, peering out the windows to see monkeys swinging from tree to tree. As the elevation increased and the temperature dropped, I distinctly felt the absence of the sweatshirt I’d left at home.

Kodaikanal is a region rich in history, and our stay there was among the coolest experiences of my life. The diverse wildlife, historic gardens and cathedrals, and stunning mountain views just compounded to make it an unforgettably beautiful place. Randomly, at the hotel, Andrew miraculously recovered the missing Airpod, as if a mountain angel dropped it off. The hillsides were stacked with candylike buildings, and the mountaintop temple we visited was peaceful architectural wonder. We just rattled around the mountains in this super fun van-bus, in which we’d each claimed a seat. Sometimes the bus was loud, with everyone talking – sometimes it was quiet, as we listened to music and looked out the windows. On the way back from Kodaikanal, while the bus was parked at the side of the road, I jogged across the highway to get a photo of the glorious hillside across the canyon. In the meantime, Navin spotted a wild boar. The sky was a smoky yellow the whole drive back. Andrew insisted on playing some insanely captivating true-crime podcasts which added to the etherealness of the moment. We listened to the story of “The Watcher” and the Silk Road, falling asleep to the landscape of India flying by the windows, as farms turned to cityscapes and the sky slowly turned dark. I’ll always remember the trip – and be grateful for it. 🪷