Unplanned solo trips can be food for soul

With 10% of battery charge left in my phone, I sat sulking at the Jalandhar bus stand.

- Priyanka Thakur

Bus operations to Chandigarh were to resume 10 hours later at 5pm. I wondered what to do with the time on hand.

Last December, I had chosen to set myself free from the routine and went to visit a friend in Kapurthala. It was a one-day trip and I was supposed to return the next morning. We were having fun until the news of a Punjab bandh called by farmers from 9am to 6pm the next day flashed on TV. Hoping to dodge the protest, I decided to take the bus back to Chandigarh at 7am.