The scene is still as it slowly drifts to a lonely bus stand that looks abandoned. Under a dim light, on a rickety bench sits Sanchitha. She is still and next to her an elderly vagrant lies on the bench sleeping. She observes how uncomfortable the situation must be but he is fast asleep. It is 4 am, and it is still dark. It is quiet except for a distant barking, stray dogs frolicking in the early morning. The chilly breeze of early mornings hits Sanchitha as she stays intact, quite as a mouse. She is thinking, her mind dizzying with various thoughts.

Amongst her many running thoughts one is blaring; her decision to wake up in the morning. She is thinking or rather reminiscing about the past 7 years of her life. Having obtained her degree to qualify as an engineer she landed herself in a job that required long hours sitting behind a desk. It wasn’t particularly exciting but it paid a decent wage. She, being the first in her family to enter university and graduate, was fulfilling her family’s dreams of becoming a qualified professional. In part, she was not wholly enthusiastic about becoming an engineer but she held back wanting to make her parents happy.

Now however, she is sitting at the bus station at the crack of dawn because she had just left her safe haven. What came over she cannot yet explain, but a feeling of relief washed over her. All these years she had felt like she had thwarted her ambitions and she thought that hopping on a bus would be a start. So, she has brought with her a portable camera to document her journey and a leatherbound journal to document every moment.

She is shaken from her reverie at the sound of screeching tires of the first bus to stop. The bus is half filled and the vagrant is still asleep amidst the blaring roar of the bus. A toothless conductor jumps out of the door and beckons Sanchitha to the bus with a jovial greeting “Enna Miss, naginna”. Upon entering the bus the conductor moves a disgruntled man off his seat at the front with a supposedly good view of the outside. He claims that it is the best seat. Before she takes her seat she scans her surroundings. In the far back of the bus is a balding man who is asleep with his mouth half open. On the left corner in one of the seats there is a girl in a uniform and on the right side as if hidden behind a shadow is a boy wearing headphones. Sanchitha then takes her seat in the honoured part of the bus.

The bus jerks forward with an abrupt jolt and makes its way on the empty roads.

First they pass through the epicentre of Colombo from where Sanchitha got in. The city is alight with the street lights and the lights of the imposing buildings around slowly light up. Soon the city will wake up to the first crack of light rising from the sea. They are passing through Galle Fort. A city that holds a colourful history of commerce and revolutions. Having spent her last 7 years in Colombo since entering university she is still awed by the fast pace life of the city. Amidst the high rise buildings and constructions and the streets where it is crowded with people of different nationalities still mesmerizes her. She looks out her tiny window at Port city, a development that had marveled Sri Lanka’s potential as an economy. Blanketed in between the modern development of commercialised Colombo sits the Old Parliament building, still standing after decades and undisturbed by the constructions. She videos the two sides of the city and writes her first sentence on a fresh page of her diary, which read “The old still stands in Colombo and I hope it remains”.

The purpose of this journey is not merely to go back home to her parents but also to fulfill a promise to herself. Going back was an opportunity for her to reclaim her hidden dream of documenting. Like a lovesick girl, she had been dreaming about one day pursuing filmmaking and storytelling. As a young girl, she was recognised by her village people as an avid reader and a talkative child. On most days after school she would gather her friends to sit around as she makes up stories of various things. Her mother said that she never got tired of speaking since the age of 2 years old with curious large eyes. Although they didn’t get to watch television much since they didn’t own one, the rare times when a film was screening in the townhall, she would be the most eager one to watch the screenings. It was here that she was introduced to the Wizard of Oz, the Sound of Music and Madolduwa. The actors, the settings and colours thrilled her and her curiosity to learn the craft. However, it was a suppressed dream up until now, more than 20 years later.

As the bus approaches the outskirts of Colombo, approaching Mount Lavinia, day breaks as the bus stops to a halt in front of a stand. This time 5 people enter at once. One of them is a street vendor selling pickled fruit in a basket on his head. He offers her a bag with the treat and Sanchitha takes it, paying extra. She takes a photograph of the man who gladly poses to the lens. The man then moves deeper into the bus offering his product and people hover around him, wanting to purchase the delicacy. Witnessing this Sanchitha writes, “ A vendor who makes everyone go back to their school days eating pickled treats after school”. This is what she remembered as a school girl on the way home. She always looked forward to this almost everyday after school. Having savoured her snack she looked on to the approaching coast of the Mount Lavinia beach.There, she notices several fishing boats preparing their sail for the day. Before the boats set out the fishermen create a circle around the boat and stand as if in prayer. A man clothed in white approaches with holy water, spraying some on the deck. He wishes for luck and prosperity to help make their catch successfully so that they could bring dinner to the table in their homes. Sanchitha wonders what  it is like to be a fisherman, braving the sea and determination to sail against all odds. After capturing the moment she captions this as the “Gods of the Sea”, highlighting their undeniable bravery for which they receive meager credit.

The bus is quiet on the long journey, even Sanchitha takes a moment to close her eyes. She tries to imagine a perfect scenario where her family would be surprised yet glad to see her. Still doubting her hasty decision to leave everything behind and the fear of disappointment still played in the back of her mind. Nevertheless her instinct told her that it was time she pursued what she wanted, at least in this lifetime. While also aspiring to become a filmmaker she also saw it as a need to bring awareness, to tell her story about what others failed to appreciate. The surprises of life and the heartbreaking downfalls. Although her childhood was not particularly luxurious she still enjoyed the carefree life of living in her hometown, Galle. It is accepted that many would want to settle in the commercial city believing that there is more opportunity. It is true in fact, but she thought that there was potential in her hometown. That is why she chose storytelling to make this possible. To create awareness.

It was nearly 2 O’clock when the bus was passing through the sounds of a fish market in the outskirts of Galle. The tiny window was open on Sanchitha’s side and a gush of wind and salt brushed her flushed face, the familiar sounds of home. She had to get off from the station near the Fort to make her way to her village. Every step she takes towards her home is a new leap for her in her new journey. She practices how she is going to explain to her family her reasons for leaving her stable life to a life of possibly inevitable challenges, but a risk worth taking. As she turns into the bend to her house which now has some painted wallsmade from the investments from her salary. She comes to the gate and hears her brother scream her name in the house. Her little brother, a teenager now in his A level year. Her mother is the first to come out to the veranda and runs to open the gate. Sanchitha stares with fear, of seeing her mother but to her relief her mother is glad to see her after many years. She explains calmly about her sudden arrival and its purpose. As dreaded her mother does not flinch probably confused by her revelations. To her relief, her mother does not look upset as she sees that she has managed to gain her trust and hopefully her support on her new quest. It’s about time you came home, she exclaims and Sanchitha responds with a watery smile.

For the first time in years Sanchitha feels at home as she has now allowed herself to pursue her dream. She knows that the journey would be hard not as safe and secure as her previous job but she has a gut feeling that better things our coming her way. Her idea of change is what empowers her to take this leap into the unknown. While walking the path to her house, she remembers her 10 year old self falling in love with films.