VidYouth

The words ‘tour’ and  ’trip’ conjures in one’s mind- excitement and happiness. To top it a ‘college tour’, it virtually means enjoyment and loads of unlimited fun. The recent tour of CVR college in December spelt the same and more so for the 3rd year students. Eagerness to go with friends and to be one among the merry makers set the ball rolling for the excited students. Therein, arose a major stumbling block of getting permission of the respective parents. A herculean task indeed! But, knowing the tried and tested tactics of their seniors , each student convinced each other friends parents to let their wards go ahead for the tour. Oh! poor parents had to yield in the end. There they scored the 1st thumbs up victory as expected.

G.V.S.N. Kaushik, Krishna kannaya, Phani kiran, Raghavendra gaud and Srikanth took the initiative and organised the entire tour shouldering the gamut responsibility of the mamoth crowd of 80 students in all. Two very responsible members, Ms.Bhanu and Mr.Sainath, of the CVR faculty had accompanied them. Hanumanth Rao of Swift Travels, Kukatpally (ph:9866611551), took care of the conveyance, spanning over 10 days of hectic schedule including Agra, Delhi, Mathura, Shimla, Kullu-Manali and Amritsar. Next, followed the shopping ‘cos of the winter season extreme climate in North India.

Before long the ‘D’ day arrived, the scene at the railway platform spoke volumes, students geared up with their luggages and anxious parents waiting to see off their children who unmindful of that fact were busy chit chatting with their friends. And not to miss the inseparable cell phone text messages. With the blaring honking of the train, the usual rush into the coaches and a scramble for the alloted berths, whole bunch of waving hands through the windows, was how the cherishable journey began.

Symbol of Love. Credits: Krystal Clear

After the initial excitement, everyone settled down to satisfy their grumbling  tummies. Murali said, “The train journey in particular brought us closer, getting to know each other better.” Sleep eluded most of them, as Anusha put it,”College gossip kept us awake all night”. The morning at Agra was foggy and the breathtaking view of Taj Mahal left a everlasting photographic memory in all of their minds. In Delhi, everyone freaked out shopping and had to buy extra bags to fit in the large purchases. And not to miss the wonderful carvings at Akshardham where Aditya was reminded of the “ghastly shooting” which had taken place a few years ago. “I feel a divine sense prevailing at this very moment”, remarked Anapoorna Divya and Srujana felt the atmosphere to be very calm and serene.

Next destination Mathura. The tedious journey to Mathura was soon forgotten at the very sight of the beautiful marble Krishna, Radha statues. Students were very well taken care of , especially, as far as food was concerned. The organisers made sure that there was no lock of the typical Andhra food suiting the students palates. The chill and breezy Shimla welcomed each of the shivering souls. But that did not deter these over-enthusiastic eskimos from going on the pony ride to Kufri . It was not missed by any of the students when compared to the earlier batch of senior students who missed going there because of ill health or plain laziness. Kufri ride was followed by a ball of a time at the DJ night where everyone let their hair down. Four hours of non stop dancing and campfire helped them to ward off the biting cold.

Manali. Credits: Krystal Clear

The very next day, Manali saw a very excited and over ecstatic gang ready to go river rafting of 14kms, barring the freezing temperature. Kamesh said,”It is once in a life time experience and we should not miss it”. At the end of the day, everyone felt they had swallowed more than what they could chew!! The bumpy, rocky ride in the freezing waters had literally left them numb and they felt that a 7km ride would have sufficed. With not a word exchanged, all of them hit the sack directly and slipped into a world of dreams awaiting yet another new, adventurous and fun filled morning.

The following day witnessed an army of students marching with skiing sticks, layers of warm clothing who were heading towards the snow clad mountains of Manali through the rothang pass. All of them had the time of their life by throwing balls of snow at each other till their energy levels dropped. On the mountains, a very much awaited hot cup of chai saw most of them gulping down 2-3 cups full. A great relief indeed!! All the students had captured their memorable and unforgettable moments with their cameras in each of the places they visited. Anil could very well be an entrant for the Limca book of records for clicking nearly 2000 snaps, phew! The night view of the Golden Temple in Amritsar was a treat to the weary eyes at the fag end of the tour. The ‘prasadam’ of the temple was literally ‘God Sent’.

Golden Temple. Credits: Krystal Clear

Anil, a student, whose birthday was celebrated in a grand way in the train itself was one of the most memorable happenings . The birthday cake was cut with a ’sword’ purchased in Amritsar by one of them, much to the amusement of the co-passengers though! None of them had a wink of sleep that night. Each of the student wished that these ‘Happy Days’ would never end. But as it is said that ’every beginning has an end’, or rather, ‘a happy end’, it was surely the time to end this saga filled with nostalgic and unforgettable moments.

The train arrived 5 hours behind schedule at Sec’bad station much to everyone’s happiness and disappointment of the waiting parents. A lot of welcome hugs to the parents and bye-bye , see yous to the friends saw the CVR bunch head back home with a heavy yet happy heart. “Home sweet Home”, as they reckon!