How I Spent My Summer Vacation:
Summer vacation is the happiest period for a student. It lasts for about seven weeks. Summer vacation begins in the third week of May and ends in the first week of July.
There are many reasons why students should enjoy such a long spell of vacation. Firstly, it provides relaxation to the students who had put extra hard labour for the annual examination. Rest is a necessity after unusual labour. Secondly, May and June are the hottest months in India. It is really very difficult for children to move out of their houses. Vacation provides them protection against the scorching heat.
Thirdly, vacation provides ample free time. A student can make up for his deficiency in any subject in which he is weak. Fourthly, the children can visit places of interest or a hill station with their parents.
We had made a programme to visit Shimla. All the members of our family were very happy. We boarded the Kalka Mail from Ludhiana on 21st May 1994 and reached Kalka the next morning. From Kalka, we changed to a narrow-gauge train for Shimla. It started from Kalka at 7 a.m.
It moved at a very slow speed. I think I could run along with the train. But, this proved a source of enjoyment for us. It passed through long pine trees, puffing out smoke, in a zigzag line. It continued to move up and up. There were steep slopes of hills on one side. There were deeps khuds on the other side.
It halted at Barog railway station. We got down and began taking breakfast. The guard whistled. But my father requested the driver to wait for our breakfast to finish. I was very much surprised to find that the train did not move. It moved only when all the passengers had boarded the train.
We reached Shimla at 2 p.m. We hired a coolie who carried our luggage. We had already got our rooms booked in the Clark’s Hotel. It is situated in the Mall itself. We reached there in half an hour. We took our lunch and laid down for rest. When we got up, it was difficult for us to move, We were so tired. So, we cancelled the programme of outing for that day.
I reserved morning time for my studies. After that, we started for outings. We visited places such as Jakhu hill, Prospect hill, Chadwick falls, Glen Kufri and Naldera. We returned in the afternoon took our lunch and took a rest.
Again, in the evening, we were out in the Mall. There was always a great rush of people. The newlyweds roamed about the Mall in a very carefree manner. Everyone seemed to enjoy it. From the Mall, we went to the Ridge. We used to sit there on the benches for some time. Usually, we had coffee in the evening in one or the other restaurant.
On our return to the hotel, we used to stand at the gate of the hotel. Shimla presented a marvellous scene from that place at night. It looked as if Diwali was being celebrated. The lights in every house, situated at different heights, presented a fascinating scene.
We stayed at Shimla for a fortnight. On our way back, we came by bus. The journey looked very risky. There were many blind curves. The driver had to be very cautious at speed and breaks. We heaves a sigh of relief when we reached Kalka.
It was indeed a very happy experience for me. I intend to visit Shimla again whenever the circumstances permit.
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