Story of Aavya Agarwal | Class 1, Shri Ram Centennial School, Agra—

Submitted by: Avi Garg, Agra

YouTube reference: https://www.youtube.com/@travelwithamag

Story

When our daughter Aavya Agarwal, a Class 1 student of Shri Ram Centennial School, Agra, was born in July 2018, we never imagined that some of her earliest childhood memories would be made on mountain roads, border routes, desert tracks, coastal highways, temple trails, and Himalayan treks.

In 2019, when she was still very young, she started travelling across India by road with us. Like many parents, we also had doubts in the beginning. Would she be comfortable on long drives? Would she adjust to changing weather, food, roads, and places? Would travelling with a small child be too difficult?

But every journey gave us the same answer: children are far more adaptable than we think.

Over the years, Aavya’s road trips became much more than family vacations; they became her real-life classroom. Some journeys were with her grandparents, Pramod Kumar Garg and Nirmal Garg, both retired government teachers, while some journeys were with her maternal uncles. Each trip added something meaningful to her childhood: family bonding, patience, sharing, adjustment, laughter, and the ability to travel happily with people of different ages and personalities.

Aavya’s family background also makes this story special. Her father, Avi Garg, is an IT professional, and her mother, CA Mona Agarwal, is a Chartered Accountant. Her grandfather Pramod Kumar Garg and grandmother Nirmal Garg, both retired government teachers, brought stories, values, discipline, patience, and a deep respect for learning into her journeys. Together, the family helped turn travel into a living classroom beyond books and screens.

Since then, Aavya has travelled across India by road, from Ladakh, the land of high passes, to the sea coast of Goa; from the green roads of the Western Ghats to the golden desert of Rajasthan; from spiritual places to the magical White Rann of Gujarat.

In Ladakh, she crossed some of India’s most dramatic high-altitude roads, including Zoji La Pass, Chang La Pass, and Khardung La Pass. She saw the blue silence of Pangong Lake, the cold-desert beauty of Nubra Valley, and travelled towards Siachen and Thang Village near the Indo-Pak border. For a child, these were not just destinations. They were her first real lessons in mountains, borders, courage, and the vastness of India.

She also travelled to the Jaisalmer Indo-Pak border region, where the desert quietly tells stories of soldiers, sacrifice, and national pride. Standing there as a family, we realised that travel can teach children respect for the country in a way no textbook can fully explain.

In Gujarat, she experienced the unforgettable Dholavira Road to Heaven, a beautiful stretch through the salt desert landscape of Kutch. It was one of those roads where even silence felt magical, and where a child could understand that India’s beauty is not always loud; sometimes it is calm, wide, and endless.

In Himachal Pradesh, she visited Bijli Mahadev, explored the peaceful charm of Tirthan Valley, and reached the high villages of Spiti Valley. She has been to Hikkim, known for its high-altitude post office, and Komic, one of the highest villages connected by a motorable road. These places showed her how people live with simplicity, strength, and warmth even in some of the toughest landscapes.

Aavya also travelled to the offbeat Gurez Valley in Kashmir. In that quiet valley of mountains, remote villages, and untouched landscapes, she saw a side of Kashmir beyond the usual tourist routes. It taught her that some of the most beautiful parts of India are hidden away from crowds and must be experienced slowly and respectfully.

But Aavya’s journeys were not limited to road trips. She has also walked Himalayan trails with us.

In Uttarakhand, she travelled through the peaceful Harsil Valley and completed the Gartang Gali trek, a historic wooden trail near Uttarkashi that was once part of the old India-Tibet trade route. Walking there was not just a trek for her; it was a small walk through history, nature, and courage.

She has also trekked to Tungnath Temple, known as the world’s highest Shiva temple, and experienced the beauty of Darma Valley and the Panchachuli Base Camp trail, where the Himalayas stand tall, silent, and unforgettable.

For a child, these were not just trips. They were lessons.

Road trips taught her patience. Treks taught her courage. Mountains taught her strength. Deserts taught her silence. Borders taught her respect. Villages taught her simplicity. Temples taught her faith. Trips with grandparents taught her values, stories, blessings, and patience.

As parents, we realised that travel was shaping her in ways we had never planned. She started asking questions about mountains, rivers, flags, soldiers, temples, languages, food, animals, villages, and why people live differently in different parts of the country.

That, for us, is the real gift of travel.

Many parents feel that travelling with children is difficult. Honestly, it does need planning. You need to think about food, rest, safety, weather, medicine, and flexibility. But we also believe that children should not only read about India in books. They should feel it, see it, smell it, hear it, and live it.

Aavya’s childhood is being built not only with toys and school books, but also with road maps, mountain bends, temple bells, desert winds, border roads, village smiles, beach sunsets, grandparents’ stories, and conversations with people across India.

Our purpose in sharing this story is simple: we want more parents to take their children out to explore India. It does not always have to be a luxury vacation or a perfect itinerary. Even a simple road trip can open a child’s mind and help them learn culture, geography, family values, confidence, and life skills.

Travel makes children curious. It makes them respectful. It makes them confident. Most importantly, it helps them understand that the world is much bigger and more beautiful than their daily routine.

For Aavya, India is not just a map on the wall.

It is a road she has travelled.
A trail she has walked.
A mountain pass she has crossed.
A border she has seen.
A culture she has experienced.
And a collection of family memories she has lived, one journey at a time.

As parents, we feel grateful that we could give her this gift early in life — the gift of discovering India through roads, people, places, and experiences.

Aavya’s travel gallery!!

Author Bio

Avi Garg is an IT professional based in Agra. His wife, CA Mona Agarwal, is a Chartered Accountant. Their daughter Aavya Agarwal studies in Class 1 at Shri Ram Centennial School, Agra. Aavya’s grandparents, Pramod Kumar Garg and Nirmal Garg, are retired government teachers and have been part of some of her travel memories. Through family road trips across India, Avi and his family try to help Aavya experience India beyond books and screens — through roads, mountains, villages, temples, borders, cultures, and real-life conversations.