Miles of Memories: A Journey Beyond Distance

A short story by Shambhavi Saw

B.A. English, Semester (ii)

Nava Nava Nalanda Mahavihara, Nalanda

It was early morning when a sudden thought woke me up — the walk. It was 13th December, and our university was taking us on an International Peace Walk. 

    I saw Maa busy with household work, so I helped her for a while. Just then, my phone rang. It was Adi, calling to check whether I was awake and reminding me to wake Aaru up as well. I immediately called Aaru and asked, “Are you awake?” We decided to go together. I was extremely excited because I had never gone on such a long walk before — only short ones here and there.

    Soon, everything became chaotic. Maa was doing her prayers, I was getting ready, food was still being prepared, and it was already 9 a.m. Aaru kept calling me — she had already taken the bus and reached the university. I wasn’t ready yet, so I told her to go ahead and that I would come by the next bus.

    It was the day of our 15 km walk — AN INTERNATIONAL PEACE WALK.

   I stood in the kitchen, urging Maa to cook faster. Suddenly, Papa came from behind and said, “Why are you still here? Aren’t you going? You’re late as always!” Everyone laughed, and I felt helpless. Finally, at 9:25 a.m., Maa handed me my lunch. I grabbed it and ran.

    When I reached the university, I saw eight buses lined up. I boarded Bus No. 5 and joined my friends and seniors. As usual, I was the last one to arrive.

    The bus started moving, and I felt relieved. It was going to be a great trip. We teased each other, laughed loudly, and enjoyed the moment. Soon, breakfast boxes and water were distributed. I wasn’t hungry, so I kept mine aside. I noticed some people throwing waste outside the bus, which I didn’t like at all.

    

    We soon reached Jethian. The bus stopped in an open field crowded with people. The area wasn’t very clean, but there was a stage where a little girl was dancing beautifully. We clicked photos, had coffee, and listened to a speech by Vic Sir. I even played badminton with Anni Ma’am.

    Then, the walk finally began.

  People walked energetically as we crossed villages. Gradually, we were surrounded by forests, trees, mountains, and bright sunlight. By afternoon, the weather grew hot, and we removed our sweaters. When we reached Nature Safari, we thought the journey was over.

   But then Bhaiya told us that we had already walked about 3 km and that more distance still remained. Later, we came to know that instead of 15 km, we would walk around 10 km in total. Even then, it felt much longer than we had imagined.

   After a short rest, we started walking again — now feeling more tired. Some of my friends passed us sitting comfortably on a Toto. I was tempted, but I decided to continue walking. Some others joined them.

   After some distance, we met our friends near the glass bridge. That was when Suhu and Shivi accidentally applied roll-on oil too close to their eyes. Their eyes began burning badly, and they panicked for a moment. We helped them wash their faces, and after some time, they felt better. Even during that uncomfortable situation, we couldn’t stop laughing a little. Then we sat down, ate our lunch, and prepared ourselves to walk again.

   As the evening approached, the sun slowly turned red. The view of the sunset against the silent mountains and tall trees was breathtaking. I wondered how ancient people managed to walk such long distances — how strong they must have been. Despite our aching legs, we admired the valleys, clicked photos, and continued moving forward.

   Eventually, we reached Sone Bhandar, but it was not close at all. It felt very far, and by then we had already walked nearly 10 km. Our legs were trembling, our shoulders hurt, and every step felt heavier than the last. That was when we truly realised how much we had walked.

   An ambulance arrived to help exhausted participants. One person had injured his leg badly, but kept walking because he couldn’t find the ambulance earlier, which made the swelling worse. The dusty road and safari vehicles passing by made the journey even more tiring.

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   Finally, the ambulance returned for us. There wasn’t enough space, but we squeezed in anyway. We were practically piled on top of one another — someone’s leg over another’s shoulders, someone half-sitting, half-standing. I was stuck between packets of wafers. Even though I felt nauseous due to motion sickness, I kept motivating myself: “We’ll reach soon.”

   Just when we thought the day was ending peacefully, chaos suddenly erupted near Sone Bhandar.

   Loud shouting filled the air. At first, we didn’t understand what was happening. Then we heard that some police officers had argued with our professors. The argument quickly became serious, and it was said that the police had used force and even detained one of our professors. Seeing this, students became angry and emotional. They began raising slogans and protesting loudly. For a few tense moments, it felt nothing like a Peace Walk. There was confusion, fear, and anger everywhere. Teachers tried to manage the situation, and after discussions, the professor was finally released. Slowly, the noise faded, and the situation came under control.

   The Peace Walk had briefly felt like a battlefield.

    After everything settled, we finally reached Venu Van. By then, the sky had darkened, and we were completely exhausted.

   At Venu Van, I went to the restroom. When I came back, I saw that no one was there, and it was already dark. I tried to call my friend. Anu picked up and told me where she was, but I couldn’t understand the direction. I turned on my torch and decided to find my way myself. I was a little scared.

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  Soon, I met a foreign woman and tried to ask her if she knew where my university group was. She didn’t understand me. I asked, “Are you lost?” She replied, “Temple? Are you searching for the temple?” I said no and continued walking. She found her people, and once again, I was alone. Later, I met Dhama Bhaiya, who helped me find my friends.

  At night, we sat together in a hall. We played games and laughed, forgetting our exhaustion for a while. Because it was getting darker, Aaru and I left with Nitya Di. We lost our way due to the darkness and the trees, but finally we found the exit. We took a Toto and then a bus and reached home safely.

   I was very tired and went straight to bed. While lying there, thoughts of the entire journey came to my mind. It had been exhausting, emotional, and unexpected — but beautiful in its own way. With thoughts about the trip and the next day’s worries, I finally fell asleep.

From Dhamma Walk to Drama Walk

A short story by Suhani Kumari

B.A. English, Semester (ii)

Nava Nava Nalanda Mahavihara, Nalanda

13th December was not an ordinary day for us. Our college had organised a “Dhamma Walk” from Jethiyan to Rajgir, an annual event inspired by the path shown by lord Buddha to spread the message of peace. Since it was our first year in college, excitement had already filled the air a week before the trip. Seniors had told us countless stories about how enjoyable and memorable this day would be, so expectations were naturally high. It was supposed to be a peaceful walk, but for our group, it slowly turned into a full-on drama walk. 

     For once, this trip felt like freedom----- Unlike usual days when we made excuses for extra classes just to spend an hour with friends. This time, we were getting a whole day officially together. We discussed outfits, packed snacks and most importantly, the mission to sit together on the bus, then waited eagerly for the day to come. 

    Miracles do happen. I woke up at 6 a.m. without the alarm, shocking myself more than my friends. I got ready quickly and called my friend Anamika, who usually arrives before me. But that day, roles were reversed. When I called her while leaving, she calmly said, “Main abhi nahayi bhi nahi hun”. Perfect start. 

    After what felt like a never-ending auto ride at turtle speed, we reached the college campus late ( as usual), and we rushed to the bus to save seats like it was a life-or-death situation. We managed to save almost all seats, except one, which created unnecessary seat-sharing drama. Meanwhile, our friend Piyush was still missing. He had overslept and was nowhere near the campus. 

    Before he could even step out, the bus started moving. When he later asked if the bus could stop, we helplessly replied, “Faculty ke saamne impossible hai”. That was the first moment of tension, but we assured him that we would wait ahead. As the journey continued, the whole bus turned into a festival. Seniors started singing, Lucky began reciting shayari, laughter echoed everywhere, and I captured every moment on my camera like a documentary filmmaker. 

At Jethiyan, excitement was back on track. Group photos, cute children dancing on the stage, monks giving lectures, and foreigners clicking pictures with us made us feel like celebrities. When Piyush finally arrived, we felt like the Avengers were finally complete. 

    The walk started with full energy…which lasted exactly three kilometres. Our confident shattered when a senior confirmed to us that we had walked only 3km, not half the distance as we believed. Internally, everyone screamed “Noooooooo!!” 

    As fatigue increased, some friends magically appeared in auto. At first, I thought they had abandoned me, but thankfully, they picked me up,  too. After reaching the glass bridge, our biggest genius plan was to secretly board a tourist bus. Sadly, a senior overheard us and loudly announced our plan in front of the guards----and then left himself in an ambulance. Betrayal level:100. 

    This became the main conflict of the story. Evening was approaching, we still had 7 km left, no seniors around, and fear slowly crept in. Relief came when a professor and a helper appeared from behind. Still, exhaustion pushed us to make a bold decision- staging a fake medical emergency, and suddenly everyone became professional actors. One friend pretended to faint, and others were splashing water on her dramatically, and within minutes, we were all somehow inside the ambulance, sitting on laps, water bottles, and each other. Laughing even in crisis. That ride felt like victory after a struggle. 

    Reaching Swarn Bhandar felt like winning a war. Pictures were clicked again, smiles returned, and pride was restored. At Venu Van, despite being half-dead, we still played truth or dare, proving that nothing can stop us from having fun. Everyone soaked in the last moment of the day. 

    While returning, our group was separated into different buses, and some left early. The bus we got was quiet and serious----no singing, no noise. But that silence couldn’t erase the joy of the day. Though the journey was tiring, confusing, and full of unexpected problems, it strengthened our friendship. The dhamma walk didn’t just teach us about peace- it taught us teamwork, patience, courage and memories that will stay forever. That day reminded me that the best stories aren’t the perfect ones--- they are the ones filled with struggle, laughter, and people who walk beside you till the end. From missed alarms to fake medical emergencies, the day gave us stories we’ll laugh about for years. It may have been tiring, chaotic, and slightly illegal at times----- but it was perfect. And that’s how our 15 km walk ended. 

    Looking back, the Dhamma walk never really ended at Rajgir- it followed us back to college, into our jokes, sore legs, and endless teasing. Even today, whenever someone complains about life being too hard, we remind them of the day we walked kilometres, survived on water bottles, staged a medical emergency, and still had the energy to play truth and dare. Life will always be a mix of tired feet, missed plans, and unnecessary drama----but with the right group beside you, every struggle turns into laughter and every journey becomes a memory worth smiling about. Maybe that’s the real lesson: walk through life with friends who make even the hardest days feel light.

Peace in Every Step

A short story by Aaradhaya Rani 

B.A. English, Semester (ii)

Nava Nava Nalanda Mahavihara, Nalanda

Today I felt different. Waking up and getting ready for college felt unusual. I was truly excited to go to college. It was not like a normal day of simply waking up, getting ready, and leaving. This morning felt special. The air was fresh, and I felt light because I was going to participate in the International Peace walk with my friends, teachers and every department of students of the university.

    When I reached college, we all gathered at the university campus. At the university, almost all the students from every department were present and joined the walk. Our destination was about fifteen kilometres away from the Jethian, passing through long stretches of woods. I was with my friends' group, and we sat together in Bus No. 5, the back seat of the bus. The bus ride was full of fun. We laughed, cracked jokes, shared shayari with each other, even had fun with the seniors too and enjoyed every moment together. 

    When we reached Jethian, my friends and I roamed around the place, we walked till the ground, clicked some pictures, and even with new people we met for the first time there and talked with a few of them, interacted with others and my friends, and I sat for sometime we talked togethers clicks pictures too. After that, we all started walking towards our destination, Rajgir. The path was surrounded by woods and fresh air. While walking, we laughed, shared Snacks, joked with each other, and even Strangers Started to feel like friends. 

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 As the distance increased, so did the tiredness. Our legs started to ache, shoulders drooped. And our steps slowed down. We leaned against each other for support, laughing even at our own exhaustion. We joked about giving up, and in all this, somehow that made us walk again. 

    By the time we reached to Rajgir. We were completely tired but happy. After some time, we all again sat in the bus and headed to Venu Van, and there was a little program being held. And that moment I realised that peace does not always begin with silence or staying quiet. Sometimes, peace begins when we are together with our people walking side by side, sharing laughter together, feeling tired, but still being full of happiness. 

    The International Peace Walk was not just a journey from Jethian to Rajgir. It was a journey of unity, friendship, and togetherness. It taught me that even when we feel exhausted or feel like giving up, there is always someone beside us to hold us, support us, and help us move forward. This experience will remain close to my heart as a reminder that peace can be found in every step when we walk together.

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    This journey made me realise that life, much like this walk, becomes easier when we are not alone. When we feel weak, there is always someone beside us to give us strength, and when we feel lost, togetherness helps us find direction again. The memories of this walk will stay with me forever, reminding me that peace exists in shared efforts, mutual support, and in every step taken with others.