A Tryst with Destiny

CHAPTER TWELVE : PULSE

"Get up lazy dane, we've reached. You have an incredible ability of falling asleep during conversations". Abhishek got up from his stupor. He rubbed his eyes to clear his vision. He couldn't remember when he asleep in the flight. Rajat was onto his usual talks about the kind of attractive girls they would 'potentially' meet. The word potentially was ironic in this context as on most occasions he had to be embarrassed when they wouldn't even pass him a second glance. This didn't really interest Abhishek but he didn't want to be rude to his only good friend in college. His senses though often betrayed him as in this instance. Abhishek sat upright, his head was still heavy from the lack of sleep the previous night (and the star-gazing). He could feel that there was a lot of commotion inside the aircraft with people vacating their seats and engaging in gossips. They had landed.

"What the hell is wrong with you? You get all excited one moment and wander off in your own thoughts the next moment." said Rajat clearly miffed from what happened earlier. "I'm sorry Rajat. I think it's all the travelling that has made me tired. Besides we've got a whole day ahead of us and you're not getting any dates as it is.", grinned Abhishek trying to lighten his mood up. "Yeah Yeah. Whatever" murmured Rajat while peering over the crowd to spot his luggage on the conveyor belt. Notwithstanding, the friendly banter and the harmless jokes, Abhishek and Rajat were thick friends. They understood each other deeply at a personal level. It could be an added advantage that Rajat too came from a military background (although his dad was in the army the stories were kind of similarly paced). They were almost like brothers. Picking each other up when one of them got low, going out on short trips, hanging out in college (assignments, journals and sharing food aside) aloof to the mainstream. It didn't matter that they had contrasting personalities, for when both of them were together, they could be so much more.

From the airport, the next destination was the tent camp. There was supposed to be a campfire that day accompanied by some group interactions which was just like a convenient informal singing and dancing. Abhishek didn't mind a change of setting. A camp fire he thought would be better than a lavish accommodation anyway wherein everyone would be tucked in their rooms. The last year had went by quickly and he didn't get much chance to interact with his fellow classmates. It wasn't as if he was isolated from the class but he possibly wasn't vocal about his thoughts and ideas except in lectures when others indulged in snide remarks and under-the-table conversations. He watched it all from the sidelines and tried to have some fun but as much as he tried to fit in, his peers would still pass him off as a nerd. Well for once, the marks didn't lie. Collecting his luggage, Abhishek stepped outside the airport. He took a deep breath. The air had a breath of excitement.

Sometimes, the travel is not so much about the destination but about the kind of experiences you have enroute. And talking about the route, the path to the camp was filled with resplendent architectures and artifacts. As majestic as the city was, it was the endearing atmosphere which made it all the more captivating. The roads were adorned by gleaming visuals with sunlight reflecting off the enormous lakes. The city indeed did live up to its name.

By the time they reached the camp, the sun had almost set in. The rays seeped in through the narrow gaps amongst the leaves of the trees that covered the clear patch of land that lay host to the camp. The view of the camp was a sight to behold. There was a central fireplace which had a row of seats around. The tents themselves were well spaced out from each other, decorated with traditional carvings and intricate designs. There was a rustic charm to the entire structure. The entrance itself was magnificent which was surrounded by colorful pair of lights and hand crafted sculptures.

"Looks amazing doesn't it?" said Rajat noticing Abhishek clearly awestruck by the beauty of the place. "It's inexplicable. I haven't seen anything like this before", exclaimed Abhishek. "Let's go inside".

The allotment of the tent would be underway soon. Abhishek didn't bother he quietly went ahead to explore the area. The decision to come on the trip, the travel and now the settlement everything happened at such a swift pace that he didn't get a lot of time to just step back and relax. Add to it the fact the place itself was so enigmatic that yearned to be explored. Taking a stroll on the side of the camp he saw the sunset from afar. The Sun was slowly sinking into the lake. Dropping from the pale blue sky into the sparkling saffron water. Abhishek passed a smiled and quickly rummaged through his backpack to find his camera. Such a moment of humble brilliance had been missing from his life for a long time. He felt animated in an instant. He captured the moment through the lens. The human eye, was the best amongst all of them. He sat there on the bench letting the moment sink in. His face was lit with the waning sunlight. He couldn't help but get absorbed in serenity that impinged upon him to float away into his self-assured state. As the last ray of light faded away, Abhishek turned back towards the camp leaving the spot which hosted the magical exhibition vacant.

"So we're in tent number 4 along with two other guys. It's a 4 way sharing" said Rajat not very pleased with the set-up. "It's okay we'll manage" said Abhishek trying to assure Rajat. "You might want to reconsider that", said Rajat showing him the allotment form. Abhishek grabbed the form and was aghast looking at the names. Deepak and Kunal were on the list. Abhishek had a rough history with the folks. Suffice to say, Deepak and Kunal were the exact complement of Rajat and Abhishek. Popular bullies of the class or more commonly known as the "Nuisance Network" , they were the human equivalent of migraine. Both of them had little interest in the place or the need to explore the place. Their preferences hovered around booze, weed and passing off casual sexist remarks as harmless jokes. Not the ideal guests to host on this pleasant evening. "Well. Can't we just switch places?" asked Abhishek. "Who would want to do it?" rebuked Rajat clearly flustered with the situation. "Don't worry. Let's figure something out" said Abhishek.

They grabbed their luggage and went inside the tent. Deepak and Kunal were already there. As expected they had already got their 'stuff' loaded out with the packet of cigarettes scattered around, burnt joints littered on the floor and empty beer bottles graced the entrance. It was especially a shame since the interiors of the tent were so well laid out with iconic paintings on the wall reflecting the cultural heritage of the state. "Look who are the guests of honor. Mr Chicken and Chicken Little" laughed Deepak in his shrill voice. Kunal passed a sniggering smile and high-fived him laying on the bed still busy rolling the fresh joint he was about to make. "Let's leave Abhishek. Arguing with these guys is pointless" said Rajat preparing to leave. "Wait. I might have something for them!" said Abhishek dragging Rajat back. Rajat was appalled. The storm had arrived.