It was almost 4.00 pm when I was stranded on a remote highway in Arunachal Pradesh with my big backpack without knowing what to do next! The jeep that was going to take me to my Silapathar stood broken down at one side as I frantically paced up and down the road.
After spending almost 20 days in northeast India, I had come to know that I didn’t have much time before it got dark. It was worrisome because I knew that once it does, forget the lonesome highway, I wouldn’t even find any people on village roads. Everything about my situation pointed towards the fact that I was in for some big trouble.
So, how did I land here?
It was my last day in Arunachal Pradesh. I had to catch a train from Silapathar at 9.00 pm for which I started my journey from Basar, a small village, 46 km away from the station at 11.00 am that morning. After about 2 hours into the journey, there was a screeching sound and the shared jeep, that I was travelling in, came to a sudden halt. After examining the vehicle for some time, the driver announced that the jeep had broken down.
So there I was, standing on an isolated highway in the middle of nowhere with 10 other clueless strangers, not knowing what to do. After about 2 hours of not being able to fix the jeep, the driver finally decided to leave all of us along with the immovable jeep and went off to seek help from a nearby village.
Another hour passed by and I started to get restless. The train that I had to catch would leave in another few hours and here I was, stranded in the middle of a highway, without any help in sight. Only a few vehicles had passed us in the last three hours, none of which stopped to help. In the meantime, a few co-passengers from the jeep started walking towards their destination. The prospect of walking to my destination seemed quite daunting and to add to my woes, there was no network in the area. I could not find out how far I was from Silapathar, nor could I make any phone calls. Catching the train seemed a distant dream now and all I just wanted to reach a safe place before it became dark.
There is no dearth of good people
It was 4.00 pm now. The driver had not yet returned. It was time to make a move so I decided to walk along the highway until I found a ride. After an hour of walking, I saw a car moving in my direction and without a second thought, stopped the car and asked for help. There was a middle-aged man inside. I think he’d understood my predicament when he asked me to get into the car.
Without much thought, I jumped inside and told him everything about the trip and my destination. He was quite sympathetic towards my situation and asked me not to worry. It was almost 6.30 pm when he stopped the car in front of a house in a village. All my doubts about trusting someone I hardly knew anything about rang a bell. Nervously, I asked him why he’d stopped, to which came a polite reply,
“Oh, your train is at night. There is a lot of time. Come inside my house and have dinner with us. Then I will drop you to Silapathar”.
I was surprised! Nevertheless, I went inside the house with him. His wife, who I now call aunty, welcomed me with a gracious smile. After freshening up, we all sat down together for a meal. Aunty could not speak English or Hindi, but her smile was enough to make me comfortable. After the unfortunate day full of unexpected encounters, I was ravenous and ate like a horse. Just a few hours ago, I was worried sick after being stranded on a highway and now, here I was feeling like a part of the family, eating a sumptuous meal on the dining table.
After dinner, Uncle dropped me off at Silapathar Station which was just 30 minutes from their house. On the way, he told me that his daughter was getting married in two months and even invited me to the wedding. As they say ‘all’s well that ends well’, my dream trip went on to be one of the best in my life. I met a lovely family whose unexpected help I would never forget. While the driver left his passengers stranded on the highway, I also met people who went out of their way to help me. I could never imagine that someone would open up their doors as well as their heart for a random someone stranded on the road. It is rare to find people like that in today’s world.
The incident not only restored my faith in humanity but also made me more receptive to locals on my future journey. After travelling for years, I have realised that a travel plan can never be a perfect one. We always have to be prepared for any uncertainties. That is the beauty of travelling. Today, I am always prepared for the woes on the road. I usually leave early from any remote destination. I also try to learn a few common local words. It really helps to communicate. I am more sensitive towards the traditions and customs of the local people. And finally, I smile a lot and it helps me win over any situation.
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