A Ride to Remember

This summer gave me a memory that I’ll carry in my heart forever. I had just landed in my hometown, Assam. It should’ve been a smooth journey home, but nothing about this trip was ordinary. The place where I live is so remote that even locals raise an eyebrow when I say the name. And as luck would have it, the train that was supposed to take me closer got cancelled again. Whether it was due to some junction issue, or something else, I had no idea.

Tired and unsure of what to do next, we luckily found a van driver who offered to drop us. We didn’t think twice - we just hopped in. And honestly, that spontaneous ride turned out to be one of the best moments of my life.

The road ahead was surrounded by rolling green fields, tiny hills in the distance, and skies so blue it looked like a painting. My hair flew wildly in the wind, and for a moment, I felt like Alia Bhatt from Dear Zindagi - free, alive, and truly present. It was like reuniting with a part of myself that had gone missing in the chaos of everyday life.

The uncle driving the van had the most unexpected talent - his playlist. It was a mashup of old Assamese melodies and Hindi classics. The songs were so soothing that I slowly drifted into sleep, with the wind singing lullabies and the sun kissing my skin. The background noise of aunties and uncles chatting non-stop somehow made the moment even warmer, like I was wrapped in a blanket of familiarity and love.

When we finally reached home, the first thing I noticed were the plants and trees some tall, some flowering, all planted over the years by my grandma.

They stood like silent witnesses of time, and I couldn’t stop clicking photos. Each one felt like a piece of her love, growing quietly under the sky.

That day wasn’t just a journey - it was a feeling. A perfect mix of peace, beauty, music, and belonging. A summer story I’ll never forget.

Written by Neha Das

Neha wrote this article while working as an Intern at the Media Makers Fellowship.

This article was created for the program zine, The MMF Summer Rewind.

This zine was established to showcase the work of students and interns at the Media-Makers Fellowship's May '25 cohort.