The Not-So-Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani Manali Trip

Hey folks, listen up! First things first, I’m not some influencer or celebrity getting free sponsored trips—let’s clear that air. My story is a little different. So, let’s rewind to the pre-COVID era, back when sanitisers weren’t something we carried in our pockets (correct me if I’m wrong!). It’s November 5th, 2018, exactly the day after our third semester exams wrapped up.

That’s when the big Announcement made me more popular! 

Our department dean casually announced, "So, you all need to plan an excursion trip and Adya will lead you all." 

Excursion, ha! We all know it’s supposedly educational, but let’s be real—it’s all fun and games with maybe a sprinkle of learning. And guess who the responsibility of this grand adventure fell on? Me, of course. Hi, I’m Adya, the famous girl in college. From academics to extracurriculars, “Mein toh chayi huyi thi sab ke dil mein” (I was the hot topic everywhere). Whether it was professors or classmates, everyone thought I had some black magic. “How does she ace everything?” they'd wonder. Two straight years of winning youth festival trophies (which, by the way, feel like Oscars when you’re in college), all while topping my exams. Naturally, that made me the professor’s favourite and the default trip planner for this excursion.

But there was no way I was going to let this trip be some boring educational tour. Nah, not on my watch! “Manali it is!” I declared to my partner in crime, Savi.

Savi, my ultimate co-planner, and I had bigger dreams for this trip. “Imagine the snow-capped mountains, sipping chai by the fire, Bollywood-style dancing on snow-covered roads,” I said, painting the perfect picture of our dream excursion.

“Adya, you’re forgetting something,” Savi interrupted, eyes gleaming. “We need 45 students to sign up, or it won’t be free for us.”

Oh, that’s right—the magic number. If we managed to get 45 students on board, our trip would be fully covered, but if we fell short? Well, let’s just say our wallets wouldn’t be happy.

And so began the Mission Manali. We had to convince our batchmates to sign up, and we weren’t above using Bollywood-level drama to do it.

We gathered the crowd in the classroom. I stood in front, ready to give what was basically a motivational TED Talk. "Guys," I started, dramatically pausing for effect, "This isn't just a trip. This is our Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani moment! Imagine, dancing on the streets of Old Manali, sipping hot cocoa while surrounded by snow! This is not a trip; it’s a dream come true! But for that to happen, we need YOU! 45 people. That’s it. C’mon, let’s make this trip epic!” . But I wasn’t done yet. I had to throw in a little filmy magic. I added, “And guys, just think—you never know, you might finally find your Naina or Bunny on this trip. You know what I mean!” At this point, I swear I could hear Balam Pichkari start playing in someone’s head as a few people glanced at each other with that kuch kuch hota hai smile.

Students were clearly sold on the idea. They were already imagining themselves in slow motion, running through the snow like Hrithik Roshan in Bang Bang, or maybe even pulling off a DDLJ-style train scene, but instead of a train, they’d be slipping on ice. Honestly, I wouldn’t have been surprised if someone started practicing their “Palat!” moment right then and there.

Savi chimed in, adding to the drama. “And guys, not just any regular trip—we’re taking tools with us to remove snow from the roads if we need to. It’s going to be adventurous and something we’ll never forget!”

As ridiculous as it sounded, people bought into our dream. By the end of the day, we had 47 students signed up, two more than we needed. Mission accomplished. We were officially going to Manali.

The day of departure arrived, and the excitement was real. We packed our bags, ready for the adventure of a lifetime. Our itinerary was packed—first stop, Chandigarh, then onto Kullu, and finally, the much-awaited Manali.

Day 1/2: Chandigarh We reached Chandigarh and, as you can imagine, we had to tick off the usual sightseeing spots. We visited the Rock Garden and Sukhna Lake, clicked a million pictures for Instagram, and then set off for Kullu.

Day 2/3: Kullu Kullu welcomed us with open arms, and let’s not forget the famous Kullu shawls that half our classmates bought as souvenirs. We went to the beautiful Raghunath Temple and visited the Great Himalayan National Park, all while anticipating the snow that awaited us in Manali.

Day 5/6/7: Manali – The Dream Destination Ah, Manali! The word itself had us all dreamy-eyed. We reached Manali, checked into our hotel, and waited for the magic to unfold. But wait—there was no snow. Not a flake.

“It’s okay,” I assured Savi. “Maybe tomorrow.”

The next day? Rain.

Instead of dancing in the snow like Naina and Bunny from Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani, we found ourselves drenched in rain, huddling under umbrellas, completely drenched but still hopeful. We visited the Hadimba Temple, trekked to Solang Valley (which was more like Pani Valley at this point), and then went to Old Manali, where we sipped hot coffee and laughed about how our Bollywood dream was turning into something more like Andaz Apna Apna.

"Adya, where’s your chai by the fire in the snow moment?" Savi teased.

"Shut up," I laughed. "At least we got the fire part!"

On our last day, we visited the Vashisht Hot Springs, which was the one time we were grateful for the rain because the hot water felt like a blessing. But as we sat there, wet from the rain instead of snow, we all came to the same conclusion—this wasn’t the Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani trip we’d imagined. No, it was more like a comedy show, and we were the stars.

As we wrapped up our trip and boarded the bus back to campus, I turned to Savi and said, “Well, at least we didn’t need those snow-removal tools we were so excited about.”

She burst out laughing. “Adya, this trip was basically a mockery of everything we planned!”

“True,” I admitted. “But it was still fun, right?”

And with that, we left Manali, not with the glamorous stories we had hoped for, but with memories and inside jokes that would last a lifetime. So, here’s a piece of advice from me—don’t overplan. Sometimes, the best trips are the ones that don’t go as planned. After all, as my dear friend once said, "We were on a break—literally—from reality!"

That’s the story of how Manali gave us rain instead of snow but also gave us a trip filled with laughter, adventure, and friendship. Not every trip has to be like a Bollywood film, but if you’re lucky, it might just turn into a sitcom!

You can also read- First Trip to Goa with Friends: Epic Adventures and Hilarious Memories I'll Never Forget