(4/5) En Route to Countless Smiles: Set off to Balangir

I woke up early to plan my trip to Balangir, where I was set to meet my childhood friend Sandeep, a veterinary doctor. He’s been incredibly supportive of my startup journey, and I’d long owed him a visit to see his workplace.

Oh wait! What did I just see? The train tickets were sold out! I really didn’t want to take multiple buses to reach my destination.

I called Sandeep to share my frustration and told him I was considering heading back to Bhubaneswar, my hometown, instead of continuing the trip. But wait—thanks to his intervention, I decided to book a general berth ticket through the UTS app and started packing my bag!

After some final chit-chat and a light breakfast, Nishant drove me to the station in his car. Despite my repeated suggestions, he insisted on staying with me until the train arrived.

When it finally did, I had just two minutes to find my berth and, in the rush, I accidentally boarded in the reserved chair car coach, instead of the general unreserved one. Luckily, with the train being less crowded and some help from a kind young man, I decided to stay in that coach.

After a nearly two-hour journey, I finally arrived at the Balangir Junction. A part of the station was under construction, creating a narrow, slow-moving queue to get anywhere. It took me quite some time to find the exit route.

Balangir is a well-planned township and a cultural hub of Western Odisha, renowned for its Kosali tribe’s folk art and dance.

It’s famous for its pleasant climate, historic temples, parks, picnic spots, old buildings and the iconic Sambalpuri cotton fabric.

Sandeep was waiting outside the railway station in a car. Navigating through the crowd, he quickly made his way towards the home of our mutual friend Mahima, who is also a veterinary doctor, where we had our lunch plans scheduled.

Mahima is well-known for her sharp intellect in treating pet dogs. She often offers free consultations to her veterinary colleagues, who depend on her expertise when heading out for field practice. I jokingly refer to her as the Veterinary Wikipedia!

She treated us to a sumptuous prawn meal, which was so hearty that it kept me full well across the evening.

We then explored the city before arriving at Sandeep's place, where he lives with Nikhil, another schoolmate I hadn’t seen in years.

The three of us planned an outing in his car, joined by Mahima and enjoyed a delicious mutton meal at a local food spot. The day wrapped up with plenty of conversation, catching up on each other's professional and personal interests.

The following day, Sandeep received a call from a Labrador dog owner seeking treatment and I decided to accompany him to the patient's home.

We picked up the necessary medicines and injections for the dog, who had developed abnormal tissue on his leg and was having trouble walking. A face mask was put on the dog to ensure everyone's safety.

While observing the dog's owners, I noticed their hopeful expressions. All of them were older than Sandeep and listened attentively as he explained the treatment process.

I felt a sense of pride seeing how far Sandeep has come, earning trust and respect for his expertise. It was truly something to be proud of! We left with a treatment plan and prescription for the pet owner to follow.

On our way back home, we stopped to visit a friend who was recovering from a recent car accident.

We brought along some Chaul Bara, the crispy fritters made from par-boiled rice, served in a green leafy bowl with tangy tomato chutney, as a treat for him.

P.S

Though this is inspired by a real-life story, due care is exercised by modifying the names, details & incidents to protect privacy.