Chezhia n S . S.

“When I was a young boy, I wanted to fly around the world. But we were a middle class family from Madurai, and plane tickets were always too expensive. So, we would hop into a car and go on road trips to Kerala and Kanyakumari. I loved spending time with my family as we travelled. But the desire to travel by plane was lodged in my mind since then. Still, I never resented our situation– I just waited patiently, because I knew my time would come someday, although I didn’t expect it so soon!

After I finished studying, I took up a job as a developer in an IT firm. That’s what I’ve been doing for the past 2 years, earning! Meanwhile, Dad had started saving for a trip. Between my salary and his savings, we could finally afford a trip. I was delighted because my mother and brother had never flown either. We chose Kashmir because we’d also never seen snow!

So just like that, in a few months, we were at Madurai airport for the first time ever. Since we were travelling with family friends, I stole their window seat to look out at the runway. Hearing the loud noise as the plane took off– I don’t even have words to describe it. In a matter of moments, we could see our hometown looking so small. My mom gasped, ‘Oh wow!’ as she saw Madurai from above. And I marvelled at the clouds. Years and years of watching aerial photos online couldn’t come close to that view.

I wanted to soak in that view forever; 5 hours and 2 connecting flights felt like nothing. But then, our landing was delayed by rain. But even that worked out in our favour because the rain turned into snow! Looking out of my IndiGo flight window and seeing white snow everywhere was magical. All the movies set in snow had taught me exactly what to do when we got off the plane– make snow angels and throw snowballs, and drink hot chocolate in the cold! In fact, it snowed so heavily that our flight home was cancelled, and we got to spend 4 extra days there, surrounded by gorgeous mountains. It was our best trip yet!

It might be a small thing for others, but for me, flying above the clouds was a childhood dream come true!”

Nestled in the Himalayas, Uttarakhand offers a blend of experiences with adventure sports, spiritual sites, traditional cuisine and exquisite handicraft, all amidst stunning natural beauty.