Written by Niharika Nigam | Published by NuVoice | Distributed by Simon & Schuster
Nanki Mehta, a thirty-two year old Brand Strategist from Delhi, feels suffocated in her seemingly perfect life, designed to be the best version of average. The same house she grew up in, the same wonderful qualities in her husband, the same job she has had since college. Everything is all too perfect and yet, happiness remains elusive. Her only saving grace is her Nanu, her maternal grandfather living with her, and her only souvenir of the feeling called home. Till a Rishikesh Bungy Ad on Instagram changes everything. A favourite as a childhood family vacation destination, the thought of Rishikesh sets off an accidental Instagram friendship between Nanki and River, the Bungy Jump Master in Rishikesh.
Her neighbor Kavya is losing her mother to Viral X, the pandemic tearing through the city while trying to save her Dad. In her attempt to help, Nanki meets Dharma foundation, a humble NGO working tirelessly as heroes and vigilantes of the crisis. She feels the futility of her life and realizes that her life does not amount to anything. While Nanki identifies deeply with her job, in the face of a crisis, she wishes to rebrand her own identity. However, her loyalty to her company, her relationship with her boss Jaya interfere with her resolve.
She brings her doubts to River and he, with his unique perspective on life and living, as a foreigner to the English language, to the social norms of her cultural landscape and as an observer of humans as they take the leap of faith even through their fears, offers a shining new viewpoint to each of her burning questions on existentialism.
But then, Nanu gets infected with the dreaded disease and through her fears, she navigates the path of faith and strength. River’s bungy bridge suddenly becomes a metaphor for her own walk down this path, her own 3..2..1..JUMP moment, where she brings her fears to him and he, finally teaches her of courage.
Nanu passes away but not before she learns the true essence of letting go and the power of unwavering faith.
This however leaves her with the last dredge of courage she needed to break away from the monotony and leave for Rishikesh. Back to the place where it all began—her long lost sense of happiness.
While the yearning for self-discovery comes at the cost of jeopardizing her relationship with her husband, she sees it as a necessary act of self-love, defiant though it may be.
Rishikesh is a whole different world and a far cry from her life in New Delhi. It is quaint and adventure beckons at every turn. She meets Mr Kharbanda, owner of the Dharma foundation for answers and the hope to join the wave, only to realize that they too are lacking, for no one thinks to feed the givers. She had intended to renounce her worldly living for a dredge of solace in a burning world, but now that doesn’t seem like a sound plan either. Finally, she meets River in person too, at the same café near Lakshman Jhula, Chai Library. Through their conversation, she arrives at the conclusion that instead of giving up her business acumen for nobler pursuits, she must use it to strengthen those pursuits. She creates a business plan for the NGO, her first acquaintance with Social entrepreneurship. Questioning her own emotional quotient around money, the guilt of it—and the power of it, she redefines what goodness means and how goodness can serve. Now that she is closer to the answers, she intends to undertake the actual bungy to symbolize the closing of these chapters. As a last activity though, in case the world crashes down, she collects pieces of Rishikesh to save and send back home—as Rishikesh’s love letter to the world. One for Jaya, a note thanking her and announcing her flying her office nest. One for herself, a note scribbled on a tissue from Chai Library, reminding her that as long as she brings herself to a cup of tea, she will always find the company to go with it. Another for her husband, mending first and foremost, the jaded friendship that formed the base of their marriage. And lastly, one for the mountains of Rishikesh- her forever love.
She meets River one final time before saying goodbye as she takes on the mighty Bungy Jump, her truest leap of faith.
This is a tale of travelling as long and as far as it takes to remember the joy of coming back home—and what that truly means anyway.