Postcards from Manaliii
Each place we visited felt like a postcard,Snowy landscapes, tall mountains, wooden houses resting on steep slopes, and narrow roads winding through the valley.
Our vacations had just ended, and we had all returned to college from our respective cities. Normally anyone would think this would mean settling back into submissions, lectures, and the usual college routine. But this time things were different. Our educational trip to Manali had already been planned, where we were supposed to study the settlements present over there.
The trip began on 5 January. We boarded a flight from Pune to Chandigarh at around 3:30 in the morning. From Chandigarh, we continued our journey by bus towards Manali. As we travelled, the roads became narrower and the air gradually colder. Even before reaching, we could already feel vibes of the mountains.
When we finally arrived in Manali, the freezing cold air greeted us with warm smile. The mountains stood tall around us, and everything felt very different from the cities we had just come from. After reaching, we had lunch and later in the evening we went to explore Mall Road. We walked past local shops and small cafes, and most of the stores were filled with winter items like handmade mufflers, gloves, and warm clothing. The locals were very kind, always smiling and happy to talk with visitors.
For the first two days, we were busy studying the settlements of Sharan village as part of our academic work. It was interesting to observe how life functions in the mountains. We got to see Kathkuni architecture, a traditional wooden construction style used in this region. The houses, the narrow streets, and the everyday life of people living there gave us a understanding of how communities adapt to the terrain and climate.The people living there treated us very sweetly and were very welcoming.
One of the most memorable experiences of the trip was visiting Solang Valley, where we saw snow. For many of us, it was our first time experiencing it, which made the moment even more exciting. However, the cold was extremely intense. I clearly remember how our fingers and toes felt almost frozen. Since the snow had hardened, the ground was very slippery and many of us kept slipping and falling again and again. Instead of getting annoyed, we laughed about it and turned it into a fun moment.
We also visited several temples during our trip, including the peaceful Hidimba Devi Temple surrounded by tall cedar trees. The atmosphere there felt calm and almost magical, very different from the crowded cities we were used to.
One incident from the journey is something we will probably never forget. While we were travelling back from Solang Valley, one of the windows of our bus suddenly broke while the bus was moving. Thankfully no one was hurt. Our teacher was understandably quite worried, but as students we somehow found the situation funny at that moment. Many of us were taking pictures and joking about it. Later, when we thought about it more seriously, we realized how lucky we were that no one had been injured.
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Because of the broken window, people had to adjust their seats and make space for one another during the ride back. The next day, since the replacement bus had not yet arrived, we temporarily fixed the window using pieces of cardboard. It was a simple solution, but somehow it worked for the moment.
Looking back, the trip was a mix of learning, small challenges, and many unexpected moments. We studied settlements and understood how people carry out their daily lives in the mountains, but we also created memories that went far beyond academic work.
Little incidents like slipping on frozen snow, sitting around a bonfire at night, knocking on each other’s doors and running away, or fixing a broken bus window with cardboard are the moments that stay with us long after the trip ends…..
