Journey into the heart of America

The most indelible and exhilarating phase of a student's College life is the Industrial Visit. We were a group of juvenile and reckless students packed in three traveller buses headed towards the Himalayan range. After spending five awe-inspiring days in Himachal Pradesh, it was on the last day of our trip, when I drew the curtains of my room, nature bestowed us with a farewell gift. The mountain ranges, as far as I could see from the window, were all snow covered. It was a blessing yet in disguise. We needed to leave the same morning to be on time to board the coach. So, we packed ourselves in layers of thick woolens and headed towards our destination. We boarded our respective buses and just when we were supposed to leave, our driver discovered that he has the normal tires instead of the winter ones. It was then decided that the bus with normal tires will run between the other two at less than average speed for safety reasons. So we hit the road and then it was all just about a cup of "Tchaku Cha". I took the seat next to our driver when he turned on the engine. The next thing I remember was him taking off his jacket, tying his gamucha onto his head and turning on his media player and gearing up the vehicle to move. I took the initiative of asking him, how can he be so calm and composed in such a drastic situation, where all of us were worried to reach safely to our destination under such bad weather conditions, and all he was concerned about was, which is the next song on his playlist? He very politely replied, Madam we face such situations everyday on our journey back and forth on this trail. I am aware of each and every turn, every lift, every shop, every road block on this route, so I request all the passengers to drop the panic face, sing along and enjoy the scenic beauty outside their window panes. He also said that once we are on the normal planes he will treat all of us with his favorite tchaku cha at the famous deli of his town, as that was the only thing he craved for at this moment. It was the smell and sight of a cup of tchaku cha that made his day. I conveyed the message to the rest of the group, but no one really listened as they were all busy cracking deals with God in return of a safe landing at the station. But one thing I surely realized that day was that no matter how hard the situation is, you can always find a way back home, no matter even it is for a cup of "Tchaku Cha" (a salty drink, made of milk, green tea, butter and salt).