The First Day of the Journey

(From the previous segment)

April 11, 2018

The next day, i.e., April 11, the first thing I did after waking up was to properly pack the necessary items for the trip.

Whenever I travel somewhere, I make sure that not a single essential item is left behind. To ensure this, I follow a sequence from the moment I get out of bed, packing items in the exact order they are needed. For instance, starting with the sandals I wear in the morning, followed by toothpaste, toothbrush, soap, towel, and all other essentials needed until bedtime—I list them all and pack accordingly.

This time, apart from packing in this order, I also had to include the necessary items I might require for riding a bike and the original copies of all important documents. Forgetting even a single document could lead to significant trouble. The most crucial item I couldn’t afford to forget was the spare key to my bike.

When going on a bike trip, forgetting the spare key can cause major problems. If, for some reason, the main key gets lost or breaks, and you don’t have the spare, starting the bike would be impossible.

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There were a few necessary items I hadn’t yet purchased, especially the tools required for minor bike repairs during the journey. I had even considered buying a smartphone but couldn’t find the time.

Honestly, I never liked smartphones. I found them inconvenient to carry in my pockets, and their small screen compared to a laptop made me feel like I had to zoom in to see things properly. Because of this, I had never felt a strong urge to buy one. However, I realized now that a smartphone was essential. Even though I had decided to drop my initial plan of riding all the way to Lucknow, I still had to ride back from there, and I would need GPS for navigation. So, I decided to buy a smartphone in Lucknow.

I packed a foot pump borrowed from Ritu Sharma, knee guards, elbow guards, three bungee cords to tie my bag, a small blanket in case I needed it, a winter jacket, four pairs of jeans, a bedsheet, a towel, four shirts, five pairs of undergarments, three gamochas ( an Assamese traditional towel), a roll of bandages, a pouch of homoeopathic medicines, all essential documents, and a diary. I packed and repacked these items multiple times in the two new bags I had purchased the previous day to ensure everything fit properly. By the time I was done, it was around 8 AM.

My experience with train travel was limited to a school excursion to Darjeeling in 1990 and occasional trips to Guwahati and Tinsukia. I hadn’t any previous experience of booking a bike for transport yet, so I was quite anxious about it.

Although Furkating Junction was closer to my home, which is about 18 km, it didn’t have bike transport facilities. That’s why I decided to start my journey from Mariani Junction, which is 35 km from my home.

One of my office colleagues, Navdeep Kachari, lived near Mariani. So, I had requested him in advance to inquire about the train schedule and whether I needed to book my bike in advance or if I could do it on the day of travel itself.

Navdeep informed me that the train, Avadh Assam Express, was scheduled for 2 PM. It would reach the junction by around 1:30 PM. That meant I had to reach Mariani Junction at least two hours early. Based on this, I decided to leave my home by around 11:30 AM. I had already asked a cousin to drop me off at the station. I had told him I would leave home by 8:30 AM, and just as I finished my final preparations, he arrived.

I have a bad habit of not being ready on time when travelling somewhere. I only start rushing once someone arrives to pick me up. To be honest, punctuality has never been my strong suit.

Anyway, I freshened up, had a meal, and got ready. Due to the rush and tension, I could barely eat—I just had a little something.

Before leaving, I handed over my original copy of the ICICI Lombard medical insurance policy, which I had received via Blue Dart, to my younger brother Samiran. I explained what needed to be done in case of an emergency and whom to contact. I also showed him where I kept my life insurance policies and advised him to get help from my friend Tarun Hazarika if needed since he was a LIC agent. In case of any unforeseen situation (who knows what might happen in life?), he would be able to guide them.

The atmosphere at home had turned a little gloomy. It was natural. It was just my younger brother, my mother, and me in the family who lived regularly. Ever since my father passed away, my mother would feel scared even if a leaf rustled at night when I wasn’t home. The house felt empty without me. Now that I was leaving for an unknown journey, she was feeling sad.

My mother knew that there was no point in stopping me. Once I decide to do something, I always go through with it. Even when I told her in 2024 that I was going to quit my job, she didn’t try to stop me

This wasn’t my first time leaving home for a trip, but never before had I handed over my life insurance policies as if preparing for the worst. That’s why my mother was feeling even more emotional, and even I was starting to feel weak inside.

The moment that touched me the most was when, just before I stepped out, my mother handed me ₹51 and said, “This is from my side.”

I was setting out on a bike ride to Nepal, and all my mother had to give me was ₹51. I never expected money from her as I knew that no money left with her. The whole tour cost I had arranged somehow.

Whenever my nephews or nieces visited, my mother would give them ₹2 or ₹5 for sweets when they left. But whenever I travelled, she never gave me money. Since childhood, I have grown up in an environment of struggle and responsibility. I wasn’t used to excessive pampering.

From a young age, I was virtually responsible for the family though not completely. Usually, my mother would tell me first if there were any small problems at home before telling my father.

I understood my mother’s love for me. But I had never been in a position to expect pocket money from her when leaving for a trip. If I needed money, I would ask her. But I knew my mother never had a large sum of money.

I had a job. I earned a salary. But I had never been able to hand over money to my mother for safekeeping. Even the money she receives as a family pension after my father’s death always gets spent on household needs, leaving her with nothing in hand.

Yet, no matter how difficult times get, even when no one else has money, if we ask my mother, she always manages to give at least a small amount. The few rupees she gets from selling betel nuts, betel leaves, coconuts, and other small produce from our yard she carefully sets aside. And now, she has handed me the same hard-saved money.

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There is a difference between travelling far away for work or studies and this journey of mine. When someone leaves for work or studies, there is a fixed destination and an address. If any news needs to be sent, it can be done at that specific place. But in my case, even though my destination was Lucknow, I didn’t yet know where I would stay once I reached there.

It was an uncertain journey. If I faced any trouble or danger along the way, I didn’t even know whether my family would receive any news about me.

To be continued…