Memories Relived

I had never liked standing behind a line. Why would anyone draw an imaginary barricade between themselves and the world beyond?

Having lived all my life in the southern part of India, I had often crossed district borders. But the thing with that is that it had no restrictions whatsoever. Just once when in school, I travelled to Kerala — another state altogether.

That’s all the border-crossing I had done. But where’s the fun in doing stuff without a rebellion?

And it all changed last week.

The best day of my life. Remember?

For the first time in my life, I experienced snow. And though I wore three layers, the cold still got to me. But here’s the best part: I climbed a three-hundred-metre snow hill to look down at the most amazing sight in my life. The Chinese border on my left and the Indian on my right.

The temperature was -6˚C. But it had nothing to do with the goosebumps that rose on my skin. My deepest desire stared back at me through the mist, and I stood transfixed in joy and pride.

That day, I realised I had just crossed off something in a bucket list I didn’t even remember making. That day, so many childhood memories came rushing back to me. I relived that warm summer night — I was only five — when I first told my mother I’d like to someday stand in between two countries. With one foot on one country and the other on another.

I’ve done it. And now I crave more.