Ek Ride, Ek Sunrise… Aur Khud Se Ek Mulakaat

“Kuch safar destination tak nahi le jaate… woh humein thoda sa humse milwa kar wapas laate hain.”

“Bhai, sunrise miss mat karna. Mountains ke beech se jo sunrise dikhta hai na, woh worth the ride hai.”

I had been planning to visit Upper Vaitarna for some time, but this time there was a very specific reason behind the plan. A few fellow riders from my riding group had been there earlier, and they kept talking about one thing the sunrise. That line stayed with me.

Upper Vaitarna was almost a three-hour ride for me, which meant there was only one option if I wanted to experience that sunrise properly, leave ridiculously early at 3:30am.

At that hour, the city would still be sleeping. Roads would be almost empty. And somewhere in the darkness, I would be riding towards a sunrise I had only heard about.

Honestly, I didn't know whether the sunrise would really be that special.

But I was curious.

And sometimes, curiosity is all you need to start a journey.

So, at 3:30 AM, while most of the world was still asleep, I put on my riding gear, started my Yezdi and quietly rode into the darkness.

I had no idea that three hours later, standing somewhere in the mountains of Upper Vaitarna, I would understand exactly what my fellow riders had been talking about.

The sunrise wasn't just worth the ride. It became the reason I would remember the ride. exact moment when I decided to ride to Upper Vaitarna. 

The First Frame — When I Saw the Mountains

Jab main Upper Vaitarna ke aas-paas pahucha, maine bike ek jagah roki.

Engine band kiya.

Helmet utara.

Aur saamne dekha.

For a few seconds, I didn't say anything.

Actually, mere paas bolne ke liye kuch tha hi nahi.

Mere saamne mountains ki multiple layers thi. Neeche paani ka huge spread. Aur aasman mein sunrise ki golden light slowly landscape par gir rahi thi.

Maine bike ko dekha.

Phir mountains ko.

Phir camera nikala. Click.

That was the first photograph. Photo us moment ka sirf 20% capture kar paaya. Baaki 80% hawa mein tha.

Us silence mein tha. Us feeling mein tha. Aur mere andar tha.

Us moment mujhe ek simple thought aaya "Hum city mein kitna kuch dekhte hain… phir bhi actually dekhte kitna kam hain.”

The Mountains Had Other Plans.

Main originally ek ride ke mood mein nikla tha. Thoda explore karunga. Kuch photographs lunga. Chai piyunga.

Aur wapas.

Lekin mountains ka problem hi yahi hai. They don't follow your itinerary.

Aap ek viewpoint par rukte ho aur sochte ho, “Bas five minutes.”

Five minutes become twenty. Twenty become an hour. Aur phir aapko time ka pata hi nahi chalta.

Main bike par baitha aur saamne valley ko dekhne laga. Paani bilkul shaant tha. Pahaadon par morning light change ho rahi thi. Aur road mere peeche khamoshi mein disappear ho raha tha.

Mujhe laga jaise nature mujhe keh raha ho, “Itni jaldi kya hai? Baith. Dekh.”

Aur main baith gaya.

Agar Upper Vaitarna ke liye ek hi advice deni ho, toh main sirf ek baat kahunga, please, don't miss the sunrise.

Main seriously keh raha hoon. Don't plan this trip like a normal outing.

“Breakfast ke baad niklenge.”

“Thoda late ho gaya toh koi problem nahi.”

“Sunrise next time dekh lenge.”

No. Sunrise ke liye jaldi niklo.

Because Upper Vaitarna ka sunrise sirf sunrise nahi hai.

It is a slow-motion transformation of the entire landscape.

Pehle sky thoda grey-orange hota hai. Then suddenly, mountains ke edges golden hone lagte hain. Paani par ek thin golden line appear hoti hai.

Clouds ka colour change hota hai.

Aur phir…the sun appears.

Main us waqt bas khada tha.

Camera mere haath mein tha.

Lekin kuch seconds ke liye main click karna bhool gaya.

Because I didn't want to see that sunrise through a screen. I wanted to see it with my own eyes.

Aur mujhe laga, “Kuch views camera ke liye nahi hote. Kuch views sirf yaadon ke liye hote hain.”

The Photograph Where I Was Sitting Beside My Bike

A tripod, a phone and a click.

And that's when I realised how rare that feeling has become.

Humari daily life mein har minute ka purpose hota hai.

Call karna hai. Reply karna hai. Meeting attend karni hai. Decision lena hai. Next target chase karna hai.

But there I was…doing absolutely nothing.

And strangely, that felt like everything.

My Motorcycle Wasn't Just Standing There

Meri bike mere liye sirf ek machine nahi hai.

It's my excuse to escape.

Kabhi road ke liye.

Kabhi mountains ke liye.

Kabhi rain ke liye.

Aur kabhi… khud ke liye.

Bike ke saath travel karne ka ek alag hi connection hai.

Car mein destination important hota hai. Bike par journey important ho jaati hai.

Aap hawa feel karte ho. Road ka texture feel karte ho. Temperature change feel karte ho. Har turn notice karte ho.

Aur jab saamne aisa landscape ho, toh har kilometre ek memory ban jaata hai.

Isliye jab main bike ke paas khada hua aur ek aur photograph click hui, mujhe laga, “this is exactly why I ride.”

Not for speed. Not for numbers. Not even for destinations. For moments like this.

For A Few Hours, I Wasn't Thinking About Tomorrow

Upper Vaitarna mein mujhe sabse beautiful cheez kya lagi?

Mountains?

Lake?

Road?

Sunrise?

Yes.

But none of these individually. It was the silence between them.

I was there, but for once I wasn't thinking about what comes next.

No tomorrow. No next meeting. No next target. No next notification.

Bas woh moment.

And perhaps that's what travelling does to us.

It doesn't necessarily change our lives.

It changes our perspective towards our lives.

Problems ghar lautne ke baad bhi wahi milengi.

Responsibilities bhi wahi hongi.

Routine bhi wahi hoga.

But you return with a little more space inside your head.

Aur kabhi-kabhi life mein itna hi kaafi hota hai.

One Last Look Before I Left

Eventually, mujhe wapas nikalna tha.

Helmet pehna.

Bike start ki.

Engine ki familiar sound aayi.

Main slowly road par nikal gaya.

Lekin kuch distance ke baad maine bike rok di.

I turned around.

Ek baar phir mountains ko dekha.

Sun ab kaafi upar aa chuka tha.

Woh magical golden light slowly disappear ho rahi thi.

But I knew something had stayed behind.

A feeling. A reminder.

Ki life sirf deadlines aur destinations ka naam nahi hai.

Kabhi-kabhi road se bina kisi particular reason ke nikal jaana chahiye.

Kabhi-kabhi sunrise dekhne ke liye alarm lagana chahiye.

Kabhi-kabhi bike side mein laga kar bas chup-chaap baithna chahiye.

Aur kabhi-kabhi…kuch bhi achieve na karke bhi khud ko successful feel karna chahiye.

“Maybe I didn't come here to find a place. Maybe I came here to find a little bit of myself.”

That's what Upper Vaitarna gave me.

Not just photographs. Not just a motorcycle ride. Not just another weekend destination.

It gave me a pause.

You may forget which road you took. You may even forget what you were running away from.

But you won't forget the morning when you stopped… and watched the sun rise over Upper Vaitarna.

“Safar ka asli maza manzil mein nahi, un lamhon mein hai jo raste mein dil ke andar kahin bas jaate hain.”