School days – a trip to Puri that did not quite happen

It was one of those things that one must learn to take in his (or her) stride. School means the stage of one’s life when he is continuously being exposed to new concepts and learning the tricks of the trade and disappointment is one such experience.
That is why a vacation planned to be spent in the seaside resort of Puri has us brothers excited. We would keep exchanging our thoughts and dreaming up sequences of our train journey and subsequent capers on the sea beaches. We even imagined going on guided tours of the famous Chilka Lake.

The proposed vacation was all the more important to me because a friend had been on vacation to Delhi and he had brought Delhi bus tickets as proof. Similarly, another friend had been to Bombay and he bus tickets of Bombay as proof. Therefore, I wanted to visit Puri and bring back some unique item to prove that I had been there.
Our parents were also no less excited – the vacation would provide a break for them and they went about buying items that could be required.

But – Man proposes and God disposes. And – that is exactly what happened.
All of a sudden the world collapsed around us – it was the disease of pox. It struck without notice and all four brothers fell victim one after another. Our dreams of fantasy remained in the realms of fantasy. (to be continued ...)