The students of Department of Media Science were taken to the capital city New Delhi to visit the media industry, the Parliament, Adventure Island and Taj Mahal, Agra. It was an eight days trip starting from 22nd March, 2019 and ending on 29th March, 2019. We were a group of 29 students guided by Assistant Professors, Ms. Steffi Prasad and Mr. Taqui Haider.
THE JOURNEY BY TRAIN
The trip started with a train journey from New Jalpaiguri station, Siliguri to New Delhi station, Ajmeri Gate on 22nd March. Time management for the 1st day was indeed not much of a work. The fever was at its peak for any of us to delay the scheduled time. The 24 hour long journey kept the students engrossed in different activities. Starting from antakshari to dumb-charades or be it the board games, they left none that could be played in the compartments. All eyes glared the hot evening tea that was served and its redolence rejuvenated all of us, boosting excitement among the students. The songs of different genre playing through-out kept sleepless night.
THE FIRST DUSK
Finally we reached Delhi. Un-boarding the train, we could sense the busy and hectic life of people there. There was hustle and bustle of people rushing to every hook and corner.
There was no possibility for anyone of us to be jaded even after the lingering journey. We had to wait for a while but the selfies kept its way. Keeping up with the scorching heat, empty stomach and two hours wait, we finally reached International Youth Hostel, Chanakyapuri. No sooner did we enter the hostel, than we grabbed on to some snacks available, as everyone was ravenous. We were all tired but our hearts could not keep pace with our body. We wanted to explore, experience, and load our bags with learning’s. We decided to go to the famous Connaught Place that night. We boarded the metro from Lok Kalyan Marg to Rajiv Chowk to reach Connaught Place. Everyone feasted on the mouth-watering street food that added spice to the night. Shopping and feasting kept us so busy that we missed the last metro but that did not let the young hopes die. Our body gave way but we were still excited to wander into those silent streets feeling the cool breeze.
VISIT TO NDTV
The next morning every one of us were busy preparing questions for the live show that we were going to attend at NDTV that evening. We reached NDTV at 7:00pm and the show “WE THE PEOPLE” started at 8:00pm.
The topic of discussion was “Unemployment or Nationalism, which is the real issue this election?” The studio was filled with young minds and we got an opportunity to meet Sarah Jacob.
The show turned out to be interesting and we got to know the insights of a media industry and the methodology involved in broadcasting of live shows. Along with that we also got to know the qualities that an anchor should possess. The day ended with shopping and dinner at Amar Colony market.
FUNDAY
What does a trip look like without some adventure and fun? The most awaited day we were all decked up for some thrilling adventures at the adventure island.
We departed for Adventure Island at 10:00 AM and to keep up the excitement everyone danced to their feet in the bus throughout the journey. We reached the destination at around 1:30 PM. We enjoyed many rides out there. Some of us enjoyed the rock climbing, rain dance and splash pool as well. Each of us explored the entire place till dusk. With the prevailing sunset the place was covered with a hue of orange and yellow, creating a magnificent sight to gaze at. The day ended with lots of cheerful memories that will be cherished forever.
PARLIAMENT VISIT
Being associated with media, we should have an idea about the different houses of the Parliament. With the motive to deliver us the knowledge about the same, we were made to visit the Parliament. We got a chance to interact with the Secretariat of the Lok Sabha, where we were briefed about the proceedings of the different houses and its functioning. We also visited the different houses of the Parliament, The Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha and The Vidhan Sabha. At the end we also visited the Parliament Museum, where there were several valuable artefacts of pre-independence as well as post-independence. We also witnessed beautiful sights of peacock dancing inside the Parliament campus. After the Parliament tour we were taken to a market nearby for relaxation, where we had our favourite meals and also had some mouth-watering sweets.
THE TAJ
Being so close to one of the seven wonders, one would surely not miss visiting the famous tourist attraction- TAJ MAHAL. Well that was another destination on the bucket list of the Delhi trip.
We left for Agra early morning. In between the journey we halted at a road side dhaba, where we got to experience sitting over the traditional khatiya style, having parathas and lassi. On reaching Agra, we could not withstand the heat out there, but still we had that adrenaline to explore the beautiful place. Each of us started taking snaps with the monument and with our pals to keep it as a memory.
DELHI OUTING
Hence, it was the day before we departed back to Siliguri commencing the end to the Delhi trip. We were allowed to explore the city with our friends, go for shopping, visit monuments and enjoy ourselves. With such famous markets nearby the hostel, one was pretty eager to visit the markets. Some went to the Palika Bazaar whereas some visited the Sarojini Market.
Some also visited the beautiful Jama Masjid. We spent the whole day shopping and brought back bags full of goods in excitement. During the evening some of us also visited the India Gate, enjoying the last evening with the historical monument. Being the last day of the trip, we hardly slept at night. Each of us was busy sharing our experiences and the lessons we learnt during the trip.
INDIA GATE: THE END TO THE TRIP
A city so beautiful brought about such a great vibe within everyone that one hardly wanted to leave the place. To end the trip in a beautiful way we visited the India Gate that morning and clicked some group pictures that stay with us forever. We returned to the hostel and by 10:30 AM we departed for the airport. We made several memories during the trip; one came to know each other in a much profound manner and also stood by each other during the time of need. We got to learn several lessons during the entire trip and each of us got to witness real life experience where one could relate to the three quotes:
“Positive thinking leads to positive results.”
“A friend in need is a friend indeed.”
“United we stand, divided we fall.”
“One for all, all for one.”
To conclude Delhi Trip turned out to be a really memorable journey that will be forever in our minds and one would cherish each and every moment of our togetherness.
