“The brightest memory fades faster than the dullest ink.” ~Claudia Rankine.

I never really visited many places within India, as I thought there was not really much to do here except to visit ancient temples or valleys, which I wasn’t much a fan of. But Rishikesh was unusual. when my mother told me about it“ Oh, another boring old place I thought. But no, was I in for a ride! Exactly the opposite of what I expected, it was one of the most adventurous and exciting places I had ever visited.

The place I was staying at was called Atali Ganga, due to its situation in Atali Dogi, and it being close to the river bank of the Ganges. I busied myself with  white water rafting.  Although it isn’t  much of a deal for many people, getting up at six in the morning and pushing a raft forward twenty kilometers using all my strength, was quite a big one for me, and a fun one too. The most entertaining part of rafting, as anyone who has done it will know, is the rapids  in the river. Just as my fellow raft-mates and I saw one up ahead, we knew we were in for some thrills. Clutching the side of the raft, while swift river rapids are tumbling your raft side-to-side, sometimes even upside-down, is quite an exhilarating experience! Even the people rafting with me were quite cheerful, and made us all laugh, while an old man encouraged me too to do somersaults  off the boat with him.

Although it was for a very short time, and not as thrilling as some would say adventures were, it was one of the best that I have had, and gave me some of my most cherished memories.

Harkaran Dua

Class: 9 C

Arya Vidya Mandir Bandra (West)