A Meeting Postponed

 

How cool the wind feels on the hills! The sun is not that harsh, it feels cozy and inviting, the car is bending along the road silently and it rocks me into comfortable sleep and I enter my dream world.

I am scribbling on my answer sheet. I am penning down my last answer, last point, last word, the bell rings  and my last pre board exam is over. 

The dream speeds up and I am back at home. Enjoying the post examination time, post pandemic time while reading books on my Kindle. My eyes fall on ‘A Collection of Short Stories’ by Ruskin Bond. I go over savoring the book yet again.

Ruskin bond is one of my favorite authors. His writing is smooth and full of details. His words bring out scenes in front of you. His stories are mostly about hills and the valley of Dehradun. One is transported to the hills by the sheer flow of his words. I experience the cool winds playing on my face, the heavy rain soaking me to the core, the mist in the morning chilling me up and imagining the sun rising between peaks leaves me thrilled. 

My father enters the dream now and it’s decided that we all will go to Mussoorie. 

I feel so warm at the aspect of things turning normal again. Firstly, my offline exams and now this trip indicates that things are getting back to normal. A whole year went by but things look better now as if we all can come back to normalcy. 

This pandemic life was not as appealing as it looks in a science fiction book. In reality this pandemic appears more of a scary phenomena that drains all the hope from you.

My dream dissolves as a blare of my brother’s noisy music hits my eardrums. I face my side of the window and look out at the scenery flowing by my side.

Mussoorie is the same as described by Ruskin Bond in the books. Those very peaks, birds, clouds, winds and roads I read in ink have now come out alive in front of me.

It felt as if I was a regular tourist in Mussoorie. The road took another hairpin bend and I looked down on the roadside. We were really on quite some height now.

Being on this much height made me giddy with excitement. 

Dad drives easily over the road, Humming over the tunes on radio. Mum is recording the hills probably to show us later. My brother, well, he fell asleep again as his song got over.

I once again look out of the window and feel exhilarated. Yes, this trip is surely going to be very special. And what more I will be meeting Ruskin Bond on this trip as well!

Soon dad is pulling over in our resort and we finally get to clamor out of the car. I stretch my sore limbs and take in the view which seems more beautiful now that I am amongst it.

I now cover my nose and mouth with the mask and we set towards reception of the resort. There’s the process of sanitation and it’s for good, I remind myself. It’s just the side effects of a pandemic which is getting over. 

Going in the hotel and seeing the happy people around and I put myself back to ease. Yes! everything is really turning normal.

The hotel was located on a beautiful location. From our room’s window, the valley of Dehradun was visible. I was really eager to begin our journey. 

Our hotel had a as knotty interior as the roads outside. So, finding our way to the entrance was a bit of adventure itself.

Finally, we get going towards the main town square. The variety of cafe's and restaurants were the first to catch our eyes. So, we get inside a cozy café to grab a bite.

I couldn’t contain my excitement at how near we are to meet Ruskin Bond. I was thinking all about what all I have to ask him and what to say? 

I was lost in thoughts when my brother reminded me, ‘Today's Friday, we will meet him only on Saturday.’

 Of course, I knew this already, so I started to eat but couldn’t shake out the feeling that I might meet him today itself. 

Though, the website I looked up mentioned clearly that Mr. Bond meets his fans every Saturday between 3.00 to 5.00 pm at the Cambridge Book depot, Mussoorie. Still, who knows he decides to come today. So, I keep my hopes high.

We now start towards Cambridge Book Depot. There was a spring in my step as we clambered up on the road. My heart was light as a bird and I was even happy to sing with my brother. 

It felt so nice to be out of house, so good to travel away from the routine online classes, course books and the pandemic. Coming here was really a right decision. I felt so happy and refreshed already.

We reached The Cambridge Book depot in no time at all. It was the same store, I checked on the site. ‘We have reached it!’, I exclaimed. 

We went inside the store and the owners greeted us. 

I wasted no time in asking, ‘Mr. Ruskin Bond would be coming here tomorrow, right?’

The mask is really good shield against the Virus but it played no role in hiding my evident eagerness.

The owner and his son looked at my eager face and exchanged a look. The owner sighed and explained that Mr. Bond has not come out of his house for the past one year. He is still taking precautions, the cases in the Metro cities are high so owing to current circumstances, he won’t be coming tomorrow.

I was disheartened and my inner voice spoke up that it’s not over, Pandemic is still there, there is no normal. I silence it and look up. 

The owner and my parents are talking. He tells us that before COVID, people used to line up till the end of the street to meet Mr. Bond. Ruskin Bond would sign copies and talk to his fans calmly. 

‘He is really a warm-hearted soul’, quotes the owner. My parents enquire if there are other means to meet him. He said that we can try going to his home at Landour, he might allow you to meet him there.

We thanked the owner for this advice. He even showed us the special Ruskin bond section of the book store. It contained all the books written by Mr. Bond. His latest books were the first to reach here. 

My parents gave me a treat and let me buy a novel. Sitting in the hotel armchair reading ‘Room on the Roof’, my optimism rose yet again. Tomorrow I might, no I will definitely meet Mr. Ruskin Bond.

In the morning, we set out with full positivity towards the Landour district. We reached a beautiful house. I got down with my autograph dairy in hand and a heart pumping excitedly. 

A maid was getting in the house and we asked her is it Mr. Ruskin Bond's home, she replied in affirmative. We requested her to ask the family if we could come in to meet him. 

She nodded and we waited outside the house. After a few heart throbbing minutes, a lady answered at the door and we asked for the permission to meet Ruskin Bond. She politely refused, saying that Mr. Bond wouldn't be meeting his fans due to COVID Pandemic.

We went back with a heavy heart. I was thoroughly shattered. This Corona has snatched my chance to meet Mr. Bond. 

Things are not normal; the pandemic fear is still there. Maybe things would never turn normal. Who knows but this prospect of new normal scared me.

As we ate cookies at Landour bakery my sad feelings started to evaporate. The cookies did a good job warming me up. 

My father tried to console me, ‘ Well you have to just postpone this meeting for now.’ I smiled at this simple solution and spent the rest of the day enjoying the sightseeing at Mussoorie. 

On our way back to the hotel we crossed Ruskin Bond’s home yet again. I looked up there and silently whispered, ‘I promise to come back for our meeting Mr. Bond.’

The trees nearby swayed as if acknowledging this promise.