A Sudden Trip to Ramsagar with My New University Friends

Starting university felt like beginning a completely different life. I had just been accepted to HSTU, so I had a new campus as well as new people to meet, which made me excited. In addition to all of that, wonderful new things were beginning to happen in my life, like the fact that I was finally making friends. Friends with whom I could share endless hearty laughs, even when there was no entertainment for us to enjoy. It was not long after that I was greeted with familiar faces, and oddly enough, I was looking forward to seeing those previously unknown faces every day.

Like most days, I was in class. This time though, I was patiently waiting for the lecture to begin. The weather was pleasant so all of the students were engaging in small conversations. Out of nowhere, some random guy shouted from the back, “Let’s go to Ramsagar!” For a moment, I thought that this was some sort of joke. However, it didn’t take too long for other people to begin to agree. To my amazement, the entire class was ready to leave in a minute. There was no preparation, no packing, no thought, just a bunch of happy-go-lucky students making a silly choice.

That’s nice! Class was cancelled for the day, so I suppose I had some motivation to finish early. I remember for a stretch of time I was just wandering around the university. Furthermore, I remember we also got onto one of the university buses so we could go to the city.

I remember the bus ride to the city. It was something new for everyone. I recall the students taking selfies, singing, and just having fun. I remember looking around the bus and everyone was smiling. Just a couple of days earlier, I was a stranger to all of these new faces. Now we were all bonding over the fact that it was my first ever group trip.

All of the new memories that I created were just solidified a little more in the city. After my friends and I hopped off the bus, we all got right to work looking for Ramsagar. I am glad I was able to find it right away. Although, the auto ride to the area was rough. The bumpy auto was filled with chatter that summoned laughter and distracted us from how bumpy the ride was to cleaner air and away from the busy world.

Ramsagar's scenery is nothing short of stunning. While looking at a photograph gives me a pretty good idea of the location, nothing compares to the actual panoramic view. The gentle breeze made me want to close my eyes and simply breathe in the moment. While the clean, quiet, and tree-filled surrounding area is stunning, the main attraction is the breathtaking view of the wide waterbody, which in my opinion resembles a calm and quiet sea. To me, the area felt like a playground and made me want to stretch my arms and smile.

My experience was made even better simply because I didn’t have a packed schedule. While some of my friends were enjoying the fresh breeze and dipping their legs in the water, the rest of us were too busy snapping pictures to care about anything else. The miniature picnic we had was also a fun experience, and even though I was unable to participate in the picnic, I loved the crisps and biscuits. To me, watching my friends attempt to play catch was hilarious and made my day even more enjoyable. While it may sound boring, the quirk we had in us that day was pure fun.

Out of all the fun and joyful moments I captured in my mind, my favourite moment was all of us sitting in a circle, quiet, very calm, and all eyes closed under a large tree. While we were all sitting, sunlight was peeking through the leaves, and the hush was so peaceful. During the moment, the calm felt like everything was just… perfect. No stress, no worries, just pure bliss.

Time was neither flying nor drifting by. All I knew was I was in my youth and everything felt care-free. My return journey required my silence; I was not tired, but lost in deep reflections. I was so lost in the moment that all I could think about was how quickly it would fade.

Coming back to campus, I could feel and sense the changes that I was experiencing. It felt and was deeper than simply the passing of time. The school I attended was not merely schoolmates and lab partners but the journey to Ramsagar merged us into one coherent group. We shared that memory, which was now a cherished memory. It was something that no matter how many years rolled by, we would smile thinking about it.

Whenever Ramsagar comes to my mind, it holds a special place, and not for the picturesque scenic beauty but for how it intricately connects us all in many ways. Remembering the laughter shared, and the still water and the wind, in fact the moments that can be brushed aside, but in fact are not all so trivial.

University life comes with endless responsibilities and is structured like a busy and buzzing life. These moments during the structured life are chaotic, but a trip like this is a total and sheer blessing.

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