Moving On

by Manaswini Naugain (India)

I didn't expect to find India

Peace. That’s what I’m feeling right now. The wind gushing through my hair and the chirpy sound of the river Ganges pride-fully flowing in front of me, openly showing its majestic strength, are confirming that I took the right step. I had been to Rishikesh a few times with my father but we would only go to attend small scale conferences, therefore, never got the chance to explore this city. This is the first time I’ve come here all alone, without my parents knowing. To say I’m scared would be an understatement, but the freedom and excitement of exploring Rishikesh has taken over my fear of travelling alone. There’s a reason why this city is known as the Yoga Capital of the World. The holiness and spiritual centers made it a perfect place to practice yoga that attracts thousands of visitors from different cultures, countries and background, gathering in this magical place. This is why I decided to come here first. My first of many places to travel. I’m sitting on one of the stairs on the bank of the river, popularly known as Ganga Ghat. A hand rests on my shoulder revealing a girl in her mid twenties. She’s wearing a simple white cotton gown paired with brown sandals, headband and a brown handbag. Her eyes match with the color of her bag and sandals ,making her look even more prettier. “Hey there,you alright?” she asks. “Uh yeah”. I replied. “May I sit here?”she asks while gesturing to the empty place beside me. I nodded and moved towards my left so she could sit easily. “So what brings you here?” she asks curiously. I debate for a few seconds with myself before deciding to tell her. “I’m travelling alone for the first time and my parents are clueless. I’ll be back home at time anyway, so they don’t need to know about it”. I tell her. She raises her eyebrows and say nothing. “What about you?” I ask. She stares at me for a few moments and then speaks up. “I’m a drug addict”. I don’t know what to say, so the only thing that comes out of my mouth is “Okay”. She carefully studies my expression and then continues. “I’m still in the healing process though. Asked for help and luckily got it on time. I’ve been in rehab for two years and now I’m almost clean. Nothing feels good more than overcoming the fear of this addiction”. She pauses to look at me and smile. I smile back feeling comfortable in her presence. We both stare at the river and see a group of people gathering around for a small event that happens every Thursday. A lot of tourists are gathering and the local people are cleaning their musical instruments before playing. “Rishikesh is my first city” she says. I avert my gaze towards her. She continues “Since my time in rehab, I’ve been planning to visit different places and feel the joy of life that is much more than compared to drugs”. “Its my first city too” I say. We both smile. Its almost sunset. The river is glistening due to the orange sun rays being reflected that are covering the sky. The event has just started. People are making circles and dancing to the rhythm of the music. The whole place has become lively. I want to go and join them. I want to have the best time of my life but I’m getting late too. “Come dance with me” she says extending a hand towards me. I can’t decide. “You know most of the people in this world give up on their dreams just because they’re afraid to take a step” she says and extend her hand again. This time I know what to do. I take her hand and we dance. Its been two months since our Rishikesh trip. I didn’t see her anymore. I guess the voice in my head has stopped appearing in front of me. Moving on from myself is like pulling the chains of anchor but leaving the anchor behind. Maybe I’m wrong or maybe I’m not.